


Run

by iamsnowwhite



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Criminal Bellamy, Criminal Clarke, F/M, On the Run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-02 05:13:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 23,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4047403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamsnowwhite/pseuds/iamsnowwhite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke and Bellamy are running from the cops, and running from their love for one another. </p><p>They can't go to prison, they can't lose each other...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She told herself not to do this. 

She knew she shouldn't have agreed to their pact. But where else was she supposed to find someone who knows her struggles and why she's done what she's done. Someone she so easily trusted...

She curses herself for getting so close to someone she could so easily lose. 

What had she expected? They spend all of their time together. They are literally never apart for more than the three minutes it takes them to go to the bathroom. 

When you fake being a couple for long enough, you begin to believe it. 

Right now, they are sitting in another car they stole- with different stolen plates- watching the rows of door at a motel to see if someone will leave before check out.  
They make their move when they see a door left ajar, creeping inside before both flop onto the bed. 

"Ugh, this will be so much better than sleeping in the car," Clarke says with a moan as she clutches a pillow. 

"The real air conditioning is right up my alley," Bellamy says, walking over to the opposite wall and rustling his hair as it blows in the cool air. 

"The shower should be up your alley. You stink." 

"So do you, princess. Not very ladylike if you ask me." 

She rolls her eyes with a smile before throwing the pillow at him. 

"It was one news station! Not like I call you 'Robin Hood'," she says. 

"I wouldn't let you. The way you say my name is too sexy," he replies. 

"Just shut up and go take a shower before I have to steal you some cologne." 

With that famous smirk on his face, he saunters off to the small bathroom and closes the door. 

It hurts when he flirts with her like that. She knows it's in his nature; he is charming and charismatic. But with her it's different. He teases her and then looks to her as if awaiting her reaction. He'll take something from a store because he thinks she'll like it, not because she needs it. She wants to flirt back, she really does. And sometimes it just slips out of her because she likes to think of herself as charming too, but she knows she can't. 

No matter her feelings, she cannot let him know. If he didn't feel the same, their partnership would be ruined. And if he did... Well that would be even worse.  
She lives in fear everyday. Scared they'll get caught. Scared one of them will have to enact Plan Z. Scared for her own life. If she and Bellamy really were a couple, she'd be even more scared for him than she already is. It would be harder to do things that would put the other in danger. This would also ruin their partnership. 

It's not like they could just stop and settle down somewhere. Someone would always be looking for them. 

You don't just let the modern day Robin Hood and his Princess get away with their crimes. 

Especially when they include murder. 

So she swallows her feelings and tries to go back to the start. When they hated each other and were only 'together' as a means of survival. 

Bellamy comes out of the bathroom in what she hopes is a clean towel. He uses another to dry his hair before shaking it out like a dog in order to spray Clarke with shampoo scented water. 

She laughs and smacks him on the shoulder. And she swears she sees a gleam of something in his eye when she laughs at him... Something like what she assumes her eyes light up with when he laughs. But that's probably just exhaustion talking. 

"Your turn," he says. "I left some towels in there for you. I didn't use them all."

She smiles as he plops down on the edge of the bed and turns on the tv. Then, she stands and heads for the bathroom, wishing he was following her in. 

\---

They've been in tighter spots, so sharing one bed is nothing to them. 

They sleep with their backs to each other. At first, neither can fall asleep. They both lie there listening to the other breathing. It's calming, knowing they're still alive and right there with them. Fighting this out. Together. 

Tomorrow they had plans to hit up the drug store and get the essentials that they were running out of. Clarke would hide some toothpaste under her jacket. Bellamy would stick some deodorant into his pockets. Nothing they hadn't done a thousand times before. 

Then, they'd find a busy corner to work their pick pocketing routine so they'd have some money to buy a cheap lunch. 

And then they'd be on the road again. Talking about nothing and everything in hopes that they would forget the things neither mentioned. Like the family they'd abandoned and lives they'd left behind. 

They had each other now. 

But when one in the morning becomes two, then three, and Bellamy still isn't asleep, he sits up in bed and swings his legs off the side. 

He hears Clarke snoring behind him and smiles, the sound so pleasing to his ears. He would give anything to hear that every night. And wake up to it every morning. But he knew that one day, the day both knew was coming but tried so hard to keep at bay, Plan Z would need to be used. And he hopes he has the courage to do it. 

He hadn't broken a promise to her yet, and he won't start now. If it comes to it, Plan Z will be carried through. 

But for now he pretends he is Clarke's husband. They are on vacation- a road trip across the country- and this shitty motel was their castle for the night. They didn't meet while running from cops, no, they met in high school. Dating since sophomore year. Lucky enough to make it this far. Blessed to have the rest of their lives figured out. Kids on the way in a couple of years. Talk of getting a dog. She can meet his sister and he can meet her mom. 

Yeah. That'd be nice. 

But then the sun comes up and his fantasy is just a long gone dream.


	2. Back to the Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother's Day is not a happy time for Clarke. Bellamy tries to comfort her while reminiscing about how they met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, and most of the rest of them, will have flashbacks. Those will be in italics.

They were in Arizona when the summer started, and both agreed that was a bad idea.

Now they are in Colorado and Bellamy completely forgot about Mother's Day. Why would he remember? His own mother has been gone for years.

He remembers on Saturday when he sees Clarke walking slower than usual down the street. He wondered why she was acting weird... Then he knew.

They didn't talk about it. He knew her father was dead. She knew his mother was dead and that he had a sister. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But he knew Clarke wanted to talk about it. She was only quiet if she had something she wanted to say so badly, it wouldn't come out.

When they got back to their motel room, they sat on the bed together and he looked at her with all the compassion he had.

"You wanna talk about it?" Bellamy asks.

"Talk about what?" Clarke snaps.

"Your mom. Speaking from experience, things get easier when you talk about them."

At first, she looks at him fiercely, with fire in her eyes. Then, she sighs and looks to her lap.

"She was a bitch. I hate her. There isn't anything she could do to make me forgive her. And I probably shouldn't be saying this to you..." she sighs again.

"It's ok Clarke. My mom may be long dead, but I hated her too. She was a terrible caregiver, I did everything myself. What did your mom do to you?"  

"What didn't she do. She cut me off, she controlled everything I did. She's the reason my dad is dead..."

"She killed your dad?" He regrets asking it as soon as it escapes his lips.

"Does it matter? She might as well have."

"You wanna go steal some Oreos from that grocery store down the street. I know they're your favorite."

She smiles, happy that he had picked up on something so little, and nods.

Bellamy knew she was in pain, and that it wouldn't go away with a sleeve of cookies, but for now she was smiling. And her smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. More beautiful than the sunset they watched in California, and the rainbow peeking through the trees they'd seen in Washington.

He places his hand on the back of his neck and tries to think of anything but her smile.

_He was running. He had been for a long time. His backpack was slung over his shoulder and he kept adjusting it so it wouldn't fall off. He needed that backpack._

_She was running too. She could feel that sleazy cop breathing down her neck, which only made her run faster. Her heart pounded in her chest and everything ached._

_Fate made them both round that corner, but force knocked them into each other._

_They both stumbled backward, catching the breath that was knocked out of them. When they could breath again, they looked at each other._

_Bellamy immediately felt his cheeks blush. The girl he'd just run into was gorgeous. Her bleach blonde hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, her piercing blue eyes wide and staring at him in fear._

_Clarke's heart was racing. And not just because of the running. She stared at this guy she ran into. He had dark curly hair that seemed like it hadn't been cut in much too long, and big brown eyes calmly staring back at her._

_"Who you running from?" he pants._

_"Wouldn't you like to know," she replies._

_"The cops?"_

_"What?"_

_"Yeah me too." He catches his breath. "I'm Bellamy."_

_She looks him up and down before answering. His appearance mirrored hers; sweat soaked shirt, the bottoms of his jeans are dirty, backpack on his shoulder. She felt like she could trust him. She did trust him._

_"I'm Clarke. We should keep moving, it's not safe out here."_

_"We?"_

_"Yeah. We're in this together now, Bellamy."_

They have been together ever since that day. Both seemed to trust each other right off the bat, which was good because they both planned on helping the other. They'd had enough loneliness. Running was easier with someone urging you on.

“Hey, why don’t you head back to the room. I’ll be right there,” Bellamy says.

Clarke nods, not questioning him at all, and walks into their room.

With a sigh, he goes off on his mission. He wanted to- had to- make Clarke feel better. And he knew just how to do it.

\---

He sees her turn towards the door with a start when he walks into their room. Then, she smiles when she realizes it’s him.

“Brought you something,” he tells her.

“What is it?”

He reaches around and pulls a gun out of the back of his jeans.

“Bellamy what the fuck is that?” she deadpans.

“A gun,” he smiles.

“Wow. You are just the smartest.”

“Go get in the car.” He nods towards the door.

“Why?” she asks in clueless voice. “Are we gonna have sex in there?”

“It’s the gun isn’t it? You like the bad boys.”

She laughs and shakes her head, standing from the bed and walking out to their newest car.

Bellamy gets behind the wheel and drives them far away from town. They are in the middle of nowhere when Clarke finally speaks up.

“Where the hell are we going?”

“To shoot stuff.”

He stops the car and they both get out. Bellamy pulls some soda cans out of his bag and sets them on a fallen log. Then, he hands Clarke the gun and teaches her to aim. He hears her laugh when she finally shoots one of the cans, and it is his favorite sound in the world. She moves out of his embrace- or uhh... how his arms were around her to help her shoot- and jumps up and down. She smiles bigger than he had ever seen her smile before.

She was having fun.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what y'all think :)


	3. Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding more money than they're used to, Clarke and Bellamy are elated. But Clarke's happiness is short lived when she recalls their plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plan Z will be explained in this chapter.   
> There is a brief mention of suicide, just a warning.

Clarke runs around the corner, grabbing Bellamy's elbow and taking off in a run.

He looks around frantically, following her as she sprints away.

She rounds several corners, taking lefts then rights then another left.

"You gonna tell me what that was about?" he pants when they finally stop.

"I saw," she inhales, "a cop."

Bellamy's eyes open wide, "Did he see you?"

"That's why I ran! But I got this," she unclenches her fist to reveal a few bills.

"That's 40 bucks! We can feast tonight!" Bellamy says with a laugh.

Clarke smiles and tells him not to go crazy.

They hustle back to their motel room to gather their things before getting the hell out of dodge. Bellamy makes a joke about taking Clarke to Vegas with their new fortune. It truly was more than they ever had in their pockets, other than gas money of course. They could usually find ten bucks, maybe twenty. He had no idea how Clarke managed to find forty dollars just sitting there in someone's pocket, ready for her to take. She tells him she thought it would be two dollars, because of the two bills, and barely had time to process the amount before the cop spotted her.

Clarke looks to Bellamy as he drives. He is so happy; telling Clarke how he will treat her to this and that. His smile could light up a city. The way his eyes sparkle and his lips curl, it makes Clarke's heart stop.

She knew in that moment, she could never let him go. She was beginning to question Plan Z. It felt as if she were questioning her entire belief system. At first, she wholeheartedly believed Plan Z was a good idea. It would work, hell, it had been her idea...

_Bellamy and Clarke lay on their backs in the grass, staring up at the stars. They lie a respectable distance apart, not daring to get too close. They just met a few months ago. Neither wants to open up for fear of losing the nice thing they have now._

_They have been in silence for a while now. Bellamy had been telling Clarke about the constellations, but he felt like he was annoying her so he stopped._

_When Clarke finally speaks up, the noise is startling._

_"What if we get caught?" she says out of the blue._

_"Never gonna happen. We haven't yet, have we?" Bellamy replies._

_"No, Bellamy, we need a plan."_

_Bellamy sits up and looks at her, confused._

_"What if one of us gets caught?"_

_"Are you proposing something here, princess?"_

_She takes a deep breath, turning her head so she's looking at him, "if one of us gets caught, the other will kill them."_

_He opens his mouth to speak, but she cuts him off, "We both would rather die than go to prison. So, we kill whoever gets caught."_

_"Then the person who didn't get caught would be arrested... For murder..."_

_She sighs, "Then they kill themselves too."_

_He seems to think about this plan for a moment. She is right, both of them would rather die than get arrested. Jail is not in the cards for them._

_"Alright," he agrees. "We have a deal, princess."_

_She rolls her eyes at the nickname._

_"We need a way to know when to enact this plan. Like a code word," he says._

_"Plan Z. Like last resort. And it sounds catchy."_

_"You're smart. I knew there was a reason I stuck with you."_

_"And here I thought it was because I was hot..."_

As they drove down the highway, Clarke continued to think about Plan Z.

If she didn't do it when he asked, she would never see him again. He would go to prison, maybe even have the same fate as her father... And if she somehow managed to get a visit with him, would he even want to see her? He had agreed to their plan. He was ready to die if it came to it. He might hate her if she let him get arrested...

She would have to do it. For him.

Clarke is pulled from her thoughts when she realizes Bellamy is silent.

He stares straight ahead, seeming to contemplate something as she just had been.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks.

"We steal a lot of stuff, right?" he asks and she nods. "Well now that we've got all this money, what do I deem good enough to legally purchase?"

Clarke laughs before telling him that he's right. They spend a few more minutes talking about what they should buy before settling on fast food like they always do, saying they will keep the rest of the money for later.

Clarke will never tell Bellamy about the extra forty dollars she has stashed away in her bra. She's saving it for Bellamy's birthday. Yes, that's months away, but she wants to get him something nice. Something she can actually buy, not steal. So now she takes a little from her pick pocketing and keeps it from him. Not enough that it will affect them, however.

How or why someone would leave eighty dollars in their pocket is beyond her... But she is happy nonetheless. She was so glad she could grab the bills before the dude, or the cop, noticed her.

She just has to make it to December and get him a really nice gift. It is her hope that a gift will take his mind off everything bad that's happened lately.

They just have to make it that long. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join me on tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy   
> and as always, let me know if you liked this chapter :)


	4. Haunting My Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke opens up to Bellamy about her father, something she never thought she would do.

The air inside their motel room was damp, they could hear rain outside pounding against the sidewalk. It was freezing outside (which was weird for summer), so the warmth of the room was welcomed by both. They were under the blankets within a matter of minutes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Clarke tried to fight the wave of exhaustion to stay awake, but at this point, it was beyond her control.

\---

“NO! STOP! DON’T! Don’t do it!” Clarke screamed in her sleep, thrashing around and clawing at something.

Bellamy awoke with a start and immediately tried to assess the situation.

“Clarke,” he says calmly, bringing her into his chest. “Clarke, it’s ok. It’s all ok, it’s just a nightmare.”

Her eyes snapped open and she pushed away from Bellamy, dashing across the room to the door. But once her hand was on the handle, she crumbled to the ground, sobbing.

Bellamy got up from the bed and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s ok, Clarke. It was just a bad dream,” he tells her, his voice soothing.

“No, it wasn’t a bad dream.”

“What?”

“It was real. It was my dad.”

“Clarke-”

“I watched him die,” she cut him off. She never talked about her dad, so he wasn’t about to stop her. “I snuck in. I was 16, but I snuck in to see him one last time. I sat in the very front cause I wanted him to see me. I wanted him to know I was there. Then they walked him in and he saw me. At first he was so happy, I assume to know that I was still alive and well... But then, he looked... He didn’t want me there. I kept the smile on my face the whole time, and I mouthed that I loved him and I hope he understood. They strapped him to the table, and injected the potassium. I watched his heart stop, and I never cried. I didn’t cry when I got in my car to head home, I didn’t cry when I got there. I cried that night though. I hate that I cried! He told me to be strong! And I couldn’t even do that for him!”

She started sobbing and Bellamy held her tighter, “It’s ok to cry, princess. It’s ok to cry.”

Bellamy leaned back against the wall adjacent to the door and pulled Clarke onto his lap, her tears currently staining his shirt. He ran his hand up and down her back, wishing he could take away her pain. But he knew how she felt. Like her soul was collapsing and the world around her was pulling the rest of her apart. He knew what losing someone was like, he'd been through it and come out the other side. He would give everything he had if it meant Clarke would be at that other side right now. Her pain made him want to fix it. But there wasn't anything he could do for her.

He could offer his support, and hold her while she cried.

When her sobs lessened and the steady stream of tears seemed to slow, Bellamy snaked his arm under her knees and carried her back to the bed.

He tried to set her down on her side, but she grabbed his shirt in her fist.

"Can you hold me?" she asked, her weak and scared voice breaking Bellamy's heart.

"Of course," he tells her.

He lays down on the bed with her still in his lap and pulls the blanket over them.

He watches her eyes close for the last time before she drifts off to sleep.

Bellamy would never say this to anyone, but the way it felt to have Clarke lying in his arms... Well, it just felt so right. She seemed to fit against him perfectly, her head nuzzled in the crook of his neck, and his arms wrapped tightly around her. He never wants to let her go. The world outside their motel room is full of dangers. Cops trying to get them, people like them lurking around every corner, family members haunting them. But here in his arms, she was safe. He knew she could care for herself- she was the strongest women he had ever met- but he was a protective guy. He has been ever since his sister was born, and he doesn't see an end to it. He wants Clarke safe, and whatever he has to do to ensure that is what he will do.

The thought of Clarke on the streets without him is horrible, even though she had been living like that for a year and a half before she met him.

Then, another thought occurred to him. This one made him smile. He realized that Clarke had been protecting him as well. All those times she let him grumble to himself about his sister without asking about it. The times she was able to calm him down when he would get so angry all he could see was red. She had her own way of keeping him safe.

They were more than partners in crime. Bellamy wouldn't put a name to it, it would be too painful, but they were definitely something more.

\---

Clarke woke up the next morning listening to Bellamy's steady heartbeat. It took her a minute to realize what had happened (or really shake the fact that she was being held by Bellamy, but she'd never say that out loud). But once she did, it was more of the tough girl act. She'd had her night of weakness, and she didn't like it. She couldn't open up to Bellamy. Not when she could lose him. It was too big a risk.

So she shook it off, got out of bed, and told him she was going to shower.

The hot water ran over her body, washing away Bellamy's scent and touch. She took deep breath after deep breath, trying to get the electricity she felt from his touch out of her head. She could not feel this way about him.

When she gets her resolve back, Clarke gets out of the shower and goes back into their room. She sees Bellamy sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through the channels on the tiny tv with a dreary and droopy look on his face. He looks tired. A wave of guilt washes over her when she realizes she was the reason he hadn’t slept.

“I’ll drive today,” she tells him, tightening her belt around her waist.

“What, no you don’t have to do that,” he says, eyes locked on hers.

“I want to. You can sleep in the car.”

“Clarke...”

“Bellamy, I- I want to do this. You’re tired because of me.”

He takes a deep breath and offers her a smile.

“And you look like shit, I feel bad that you sacrificed your good looks for me. Robin Hood really does need his beauty sleep.”

He laughs and her heart begins to soften, “Wow, you are truly my best friend, Clarke. And I only have one friend, so that says a lot.”

She shakes her head and laughs with him. Back to their teasing ways it seems...

Bellamy excuses himself to the bathroom to wash his face and then they’re off. Clarke hates driving, scares the crap out of her, but Bellamy did look quite adorable while he slept. Not a bad trade. They never planned where they drove to, just picked a highway and off they went. They preferred the west and midwest because there were more small towns, more places for them to get lost. And far less cops. Bellamy slept for a couple of hours before he woke up and they continued their usual car ride routine. They play the alphabet game, which Clarke always wins, even when she’s driving. They turn on the radio, find a station in whatever area they’re in, and try to guess the song within the first couple of notes.

It’s comfortable and easy. They act as though they have been friends their entire lives.

They both know they will be friends for the rest of their lives. They’ll die before they get split up.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter, so let me know what you guys think of it.   
> find me on tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy


	5. Pencil and Paper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake Griffin makes his way into Clarke's thoughts yet again.

On to the next city, they were. Clarke and Bellamy were packing their few things into their backpacks when Clarke’s breath gets faster. Her heart starts racing, and her eyes open wide as she looks through the different pockets of her backpack.

“Have you seen my notebook?” she asks Bellamy frantically.

“What does it look like?”

“It’s black, and has a hard cover,” tears build up in her eyes and Bellamy places his hand on her arm.

“We can get you another one, princess,” he tells her.

“You don’t understand! I need that notebook!”

_Finally, she had found an abandoned shed. Finally, some shelter from the rain that never seemed to stop pouring. Finally, she could draw._

_She sits on the ground, pulling her notebook and pencil out of her backpack._

_Turning to the pages without lines, she finds the drawing she was working on._

_Drawing from memory wasn’t her favorite thing, she liked to have a reference, but a reference was something she did not have. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to remember everything about him. The way he smiled; she drew the one he would give her when she told him a joke. The way his eyes would light up; she tried to remember the picture on the counter of him on his wedding day. She didn’t have to try hard to remember his hair, she’d fixed it enough times for him that she would remember it when she died. He would always work late, and never remember to do his hair before going back into work the next day._

_She used the edge of her pinky finger to blend the color in his cheeks, even though she hated doing that. The oils from her skin would make the paper look weird. But she didn’t have anything else to blend with, and she needed to finish this drawing fast. Before she forgot._

_She had no idea what time it was, she’d gotten lucky because the shed had a light in it. Hours passed when she was finally satisfied with her work. It didn’t look just like him, but it was pretty darn close. She finished off the drawing by writing ‘in memory of Jake Griffin’ across the bottom of the page in her best handwriting._

_A sigh of relief escaped her lips, she had done it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was all she had. Something to remember her father by._

_He’d been gone for three and a half years now. And Clarke missed him everyday._

_She didn’t sleep that night. She didn’t sleep any night. But when she did, she saw him. She saw the tube that went into his arm, the one that carried the medicine to kill him. Then, once he was dead, the tube burst out from behind the glass and wrapped around her neck. Each time, she would wake up not being able to breathe. Each time, she would wake up crying._

_So she didn’t sleep. She sat in that shed, working on a drawing of a man with wings flying high above the ground._

_When she saw the sun peeking through the cracks in the shed, she started running again. She had no idea where she was going. But she knew she couldn’t get caught. And she knew she had to get away from her mother._

Maybe one day I will see my father again _, she thinks as she runs. But she quickly pushes that thought from her head. She knows that he would be so disappointed in her. She was a criminal. She became what he was not. Became all that he didn’t want her to be. For fuck’s sake, she got accepted to Hopkins! She was supposed to be a doctor, she was supposed to be in pre med right now. Not running from the police... Her father would give her that look, the one her mother gave her constantly before she left._

_And she doesn’t know if she could handle that._

The two go out to the car and Clarke looks in the trunk, hoping her notebook will be in there. When it isn’t, she runs her hands through her hair. She wants to scream.

Bellamy must notice her because he is concerned when she finally gets into the passenger seat.

“What is in the notebook?” he asks.

She sighs, “All I had left of my dad. Everything I had of him was in that notebook."

"You looked around the room?"

"I wouldn't have taken it out of my backpack..."

"I'm so sorry, Clarke."

"It's alright. I shouldn't be sentimental anyways," she replies coldly.

Bellamy remains silent, not knowing what to say. As he pulls out onto the highway, he looks over at Clarke. She looks as though she is about to cry, and that breaks Bellamy's heart. He wants to do something for her, but he has no idea where her notebook is. It could still be in the car somewhere... Maybe. He'd seen her writing in it sometimes, and had seen her drawing in it even more. That thing was important to her.

_Clarke was walking around a town she'd never heard of before. She was starving and needed to find a crowded corner where she could steal someone's money._

_She spotted a man whose pants didn't quite fit, the pockets stuck out and she could easily reach in and grab his wallet. Creeping up behind him, and using a feather light touch, she snatched the wallet and started walking in the other direction._

_This dumbass had fifty bucks in cash in his wallet. Clarke slipped the bills into her pocket before dropping the wallet on the ground. She would dine well tonight._

_As she looked around for a place to eat, it hit her like a soccer ball to the face. Maybe a smell brought it on, or something she saw. But she was suddenly hit with a memory of her father. She stumbled over to a bench on the corner and pulled out her notebook, writing down the memory as fast as she could._

_She began to remember something she never knew her brain had kept._

_Her parents were in the living room, talking in hushed voices. Clarke was supposed to be asleep, but came downstairs for a drink. They were talking about work. She heard something about the trials not working, how they needed to try something new. Her father protested, but her mother raised her voice and Clarke hurried back up the stairs._

_As she sits on the bench, she realizes what she heard that night. Her father was telling her mother how they should stop their trials. But her mother wouldn't have it. Eventually, they got caught. It was illegal, testing on people the way they were. Her mother blamed it on her father. She didn't even look back. The trial lasted almost two years. He exhausted all his appeals. Jack Griffin was executed for a crime he didn't want to commit. And Abby Griffin let it happen._

_Clarke doesn't know why she wrote everything down. Maybe she didn't want to forget, maybe she wanted to use it against her mother._

_But it was her father's memory. And she'd never stop writing about him._

Bellamy handed Clarke some cash and asked if she could get them a pizza. She gave him a weak smile and did as he requested. When she was inside the store, he practically tore the car apart looking for her notebook. As a last resort, he shoved his arm under the driver's seat, feeling the floor until he felt the metal rings of the notebook. The relief he felt in that moment was unimaginable. Now he just had to wait for Clarke to come back outside.

"What's what face for?" she asks, noticing his smirk.

He pulls the notebook from behind his back and hands it to her.

"Where did you find this?" she asks, her eyes lighting up and her voice full of excitement.

"Under the seat in the car."

She sets the pizza box on top of the car and wraps her arms around Bellamy, "You're the best!"

"I try."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was feeling very creative today and wrote two chapters. I might post chapter six in a bit after I finish editing it, and I think y'all will really like it.   
> Let me know what y'all think of this chapter and come find me on tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy


	6. Locket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy is reminded of the worst time in his life.

The partners in crime were currently packing up their motel room, making sure not to leave anything behind. Clarke folds her clothes neatly so they fit in her bag, while Bellamy’s are shoved into his own pack in wads. He pulls his hand out of his bag and accidentally brings something from the bottom out with it. It falls to the floor with a swoosh.

"Bellamy, what is this?" Clarke asks, holding up an old gold necklace with a heart locket.

Suddenly his chest feels tight.

The necklace was Octavia's. Bellamy had given it to her. He saved up all his money to get it for her back when a summer job was all he had. She'd seen the thing in an antique shop's window and he could tell she loved it. After a month, he got his paycheck and rushed to the mall to get it for her. Their mother would never do something like that, and Octavia deserved something nice.

He remembers the smile on her chubby face when he handed it to her. Ten year old Octavia was amazed he could afford it.

He also remembers the day she gave it back. It was two days before he left.

How could she have chosen her friend over him? Her own brother? He was perfectly fit to take care of her. He was 18, had a good job, and their mother left them their piece of shit house. It wasn't much, but he was family...

The courts said Octavia could live with Bellamy, but her best friend and her family offered to take her in as well. Octavia left her brother behind. Left him all alone. He felt like he had done something wrong... Then, as she loaded her things into the truck and was off to live in the nice part of town, she handed him the necklace. There was no emotion on her face. She had become cold in that moment. Bellamy stood on the sidewalk, unable to breathe and certainly unable to move.

He swallowed hard, not sure what to tell Clarke.

"It was my sister's," he settled on.

Clarke smiles, "Something to remember her by."

She says this innocently, and that fact makes Bellamy feel a bit better. He smiles at her, yeah, something to remember her by.

Because they kept the family talk to a minimum, that was the end of that conversation. They got too close with the talk of Clarke's dad and she shut down for a while after that. He wasn't about to do that now. Octavia was a can of worms that was meant to stay closed. She was happy living with her friend. She was cared for, provided for. She had everything she needed.

She was better off without her big brother. She wouldn’t want to live with him now. The man he’d become... He wasn’t good enough for his sister, not anymore. She must be 17 now, man it has been more than five years since Bellamy left home... She would be worrying about ACTs and getting into a good school. She’d be picking out the perfect prom dress, probably in bright blue, it was her favorite color. She probably had a boyfriend, one that Bellamy doesn’t get to approve of. She was driving, she had her license. She would probably be really into makeup, she had always stolen their mother’s when she wasn’t watching. Which was all the time. The last time Bellamy saw his sister, she was in middle school. She was 12 years old and wanted to be president.

He knew what she would have been if she stayed with him, she would be strong. She always had been. But she wouldn’t be able to be who she really was. All Bellamy could afford was secondhand clothes. He would have tried to get her a good prom dress, but that wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t be able to go to a good school if she lived with him. Again, he would try to pay for it. In the end, she would end up going to community college if at all... She really was better off without him. He was sure of it.

Bellamy shoves his backpack into the backseat, watching Clarke happily slide into the front seat.

He has Clarke now, someone new to satisfy his protective instincts. She was someone he could care deeply about. Clarke was no replacement for his sister- both women are too good for that, too important- but she was all he had now.

Before he can spiral into a hole of self pity and regret, Clarke smiles in the seat next to him. Her smile could pull him from any bad mood.

He tried not to think about how clueless they both were to the other's suffering. Clarke knew nothing of his sister. She didn't know that he had his heart broken by a head strong 12 year old. She didn't know that he spent the next 24 hours drunk off his ass trying to forget that it happened. Or that thoughts raced through his head he would never admit to having. She would never know how much he hated himself once he recovered from his drunken state. His mother was a drunk. He wouldn't be that too.

Then again, he had no idea her father was executed. Or that she watched it happen. He'd only just learned that. And she would never tell him that her mother framed her dad. She wouldn't let him know about how her mother looked down on her own daughter like she regretted her.

Family talk was off limits.

Clarke was singing to some song on the radio, her head bobbing with the beat. Bellamy laughed and sang along when she pointed to him to supply the next lyric.

Running was about forgetting, for Bellamy at least. He ran when he knew he couldn't stay in that shit hole anymore. Not when it was littered with memories of him and his sister. Like the time they tried to cook dinner together and burned the pasta to the bottom of the pot, yeah they didn't know that was possible either... Or the times Octavia crawled into Bellamy's room in the middle of the night when she had a nightmare. Especially when Octavia challenged Bellamy's old friend Murphy to a burping contest, and she won. He definitely couldn't stay there.

Clarke reminded Bellamy of Octavia sometimes. They were both stubborn, not unlike himself. They both could be so sarcastic and hilarious. Both girls had the 'my way of the highway' mentality. And both held a special place in his heart.

Apparently, Bellamy's face had adopted a stern look because Clarke suddenly turns down the radio and asks what's wrong.

"Just being nostalgic," he explains.

She smirks, "You? Nostalgic? I don't believe it."

"Well believe it honey. I got a lot to feel nostalgic about. Life back home was a real good independent film. In sepia and everything," he says this in a joking tone, but means it more than he wants Clarke to know.

"My life back home," she says, "bad soap opera. The writers should be fired."

"I agree with you there. Let's go on strike, show those writers whose boss."

"I think the last few years of our lives have been strike," she laughs

"I like strike," he says, resisting the urge to add 'because you're there'.

"Certainly better than the shitty pile of shit we left."

"Really? Shitty pile of shit?"

"What? Your life B.C. was all roses and meadows?"

"B.C.?"

"Before Clarke," she explains.

"Oh, but no. My life was definitely a shitty pile of shit."

And that was it. As close as they got. The car was silent for a bit, other than the low volume pop song that played over the radio. Their unspoken rule to avoid families and the past was proving to be rather good at making things awkward.

But Bellamy didn't want to burden Clarke with everything that he carried on his shoulders, and Clarke wouldn't risk opening up. Not when the risk seemed greater than the reward.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day and I still want to write more... (expect the next chapter real soon)
> 
> I know this chapter was a little sad, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Bellamy's backstory is fun to play with. The next chapter will definitely have more backstory from Clarke as well as Bellamy. 
> 
> I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter :)


	7. Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Clarke recall why they left home in the first place.

**Clarke**

**Two years ago**

_Her mother said she was headed off to bed. It was early, only nine o’clock, but she had work early the next morning. Little did she know, Clarke would not be home when she returned._

_It started with no more allowance. Her mother cut off all her money, Clarke had to ask her mother to buy her things now. The trust was gone._

_Then, she took Clarke’s car when she started being gone for days at a time. Sure, Clarke was actually doing bad things. She had begun her downward spiral by sleeping with a bunch of guys from her high school. Then, girls too. It was fun. And definitely not what her mother wanted._

_After that, she was grounded day after day. She felt like she was rapunzel, locked away for no reason at all. Everything was changing and Clarke had no time to adjust._

_Clarke had had enough. She was done with her mother trying to control her and shape her into a mini Abby. Clarke was her own person, and needed space to be that._

_That night, Clarke packed her bag. As her father taught her, she neatly folded the clothes she wanted to take. She had no idea how long she would be gone so she packed as much as she could. But she made sure to leave room for the sketchbook her father gave her- the one he always called a notebook- and a pack of sharpened pencils._

_She heard her mother pull out of the garage at four the next morning. She gave herself a few minutes to walk around the house before she left. Somehow, she ended up in her father’s old study. He used it a lot more right before he was gone. Clarke knew he had been trying to find a way to stop their testing. He knew it wasn’t right. She remembered sitting in there with him while she did her homework, he would always tell her the answers when she asked him for help and she loved it. This room was their escape from her mother. Sometimes they would even eat dinner in there so they wouldn’t have to have those awkward conversations with her._

_This room was filled with good memories. Happy ones that she would carry with her always. But one room of good things was not enough to make her stay. Not when the rest of the house was cold and empty._

_Not when her most recent memories were of her mother shutting off the tv when Clarke tried to watch the news coverage of the trial. Especially not when past two years had been filled with silence. A silence so deafening, Clarke thought the walls would crumble around her. Her father went to jail, her mother stopped talking to her. Clarke was home alone, left to rely on herself. She made herself dinner every night, she got herself to school everyday. No one was there to answer the phone calls from the school when teachers were concerned that Clarke stopped talking. The silence followed her, consumed her._

_She had to leave._

_The morning was cold, and the sun was just barely peeking up behind the row of houses around her own. Clarke didn’t bother looking back, she just ran._

_After about an hour, she hopped on a bus and watched out the window as the only town she’d ever known started to disappear._

**Bellamy**

**Five and a half years ago**

_Before he even opened his eyes, his head hurt. It felt like someone had dropped a bowling ball on his face. That’s why he never drank in high school, hangovers were the worst._

_Gripping the wall for support, he made his way into the bathroom and took some aspirin._

_He spent the day laying on the couch. No tv on, no music playing, nothing but silence. As his head started to feel better, his mind started feeling worse. The mild pounding in his head was not much of a distraction from the fact that his sister was gone. She was only about a thirty minute drive away, but to him it felt much more significant._

_This house that he lived in was haunted. Haunted by the ghost of his mother, and the blood stains she left on the carpet when she left. Haunted by the empty room at the end of the hall, the one that used to be filled with stuffed animals and princess posters. It was just him now. And that seemed like too much._

_Bellamy, being the rash young man he was, dashed up to his bedroom. There, he grabbed his backpack and stuffed some clothes inside. He let out a sigh when he snatched Octavia’s locket off his dresser and slipped it into the front pocket of his pack. As he walked out the front door, he shoved his wallet into his back pocket. He didn’t have a car, so he just walked aimlessly around, knowing he could not stay in that house any longer._

_He spent a few days on his own, doing nothing but running. Finally, he made his way to Octavia’s new house. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer._

_“Bellamy?” a grown woman asked when she answered the door, she must be Octavia’s friend’s mom._

_“Yeah, is Octavia here? I wanted to see her,” he says eagerly._

_The woman seems to look behind the door, at someone, “She’s not here.”_

_“Well, where is she? When will she be back?”_

_“I’m not sure.”_

_Bellamy’s face hardens, “You don’t know? She’s 12 years old and you’re not sure where she is?!”_

_“Bellamy,” the woman says, holding her hand out to stop him from entering the house. “She doesn’t want to see you.”_

_His face contorts into an expression of hurt and confusion, “She doesn’t want to see me? I’m her brother.”_

_“She’s grieving, Bellamy. Give her some time.”_

_“Time? Time for her to adjust to life here? Time for her to forget about me?” he raises his voice._

_“I think it’s time for you to leave Mr. Blake,” she says with an air of superiority._

_“Leave? No I want to see my sister, I want to take her home,” he hissed through his teeth._

_“She is home,” she says before closing the door._

_Bellamy stood on the porch for a minute, silent and stunned. Octavia didn’t want to see him. She actually said that she didn’t want to see her own brother. Grieving my ass, he thought to himself. In the blink of an eye, anger surged through Bellamy once more. He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms._

_Without thinking, Bellamy grabbed a rock from beside the front steps and smashed the flower pots on either side. Then, he threw the rock and watched as it knocked down some of their white picket fence. He wanted to pull his hair out. How had everything managed to fall apart in a matter of days?_

_He let out a sigh before he took off in a sprint. However, he turned back before leaving the block and saw Octavia staring at him from behind the window. Tears stained her cheeks and a look of embarrassment took over her beautiful face._

_If his heart wasn’t broken before, it was shattered now. Scratch that, it felt like someone had taken his heart from his body and squeezed it in their hand until it turned to dust._

_It was then he decided he would never stop running._

_He ran and ran until he was in the middle of nowhere. He screamed at the top of his lungs until his voice gave out._

_Maybe he was meant to be alone..._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all liked this chapter, let me know what you think :)


	8. Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Bellamy's birthday.

The two got the hell out of Colorado when winter came. Fall was nice, watching the leaves change colors as they drove through the mountains. They found they like mountain towns, they were small and cops could care less what goes on in their town. It seemed unusually warm for fall, and they found themselves turning up the AC in their rooms more. But it was beautiful.

Then November hit, as it usually did, killing everything in its path.

The trees all died, and ice started to cover the roads. Yeah, Bellamy and Clarke needed to get somewhere warmer.

They finally managed to get somewhere where the temperature was above fifty degrees, and stopped for a while.

For some reason- only unknown to Bellamy- Clarke insisted she go find them some money. There was a mall nearby their motel, she says she could find a lot of cash there for them to spend. Bellamy gives her the go ahead, telling her he will gladly chill in their room for a couple of hours.

“Be safe,” he tells her before she leaves.

She smiles at him, “I will.”

When the door closes behind her, she pulls the cash from her bra and counts it up. She has saved over two hundred bucks! She had no idea how she kept it from Bellamy for all this time, or how she got this much, but she is happy none the less.

The mall is crowded, just as they like it. Clarke walks aimlessly around, not sure what to get Bellamy. She does take the opportunity to take some people’s cash, however. She just can’t seem to pass up on loose pockets with fat wallets.

Most of the stores are selling girl’s clothes or housewares, nothing she can get for Bellamy. Knowing she has to hurry, she picks up her pace. She doesn’t want to worry Bellamy by being gone for too long.

\---

Bellamy flops back onto the bed as soon as Clarke leaves. He decides to pull the blankets around himself and take a nap, something they rarely got to do.

He falls asleep almost immediately.

Dreams fill his slumber, flashing through his head a million miles a minute.

First, he sees him and Clarke sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping drinks and getting a tan. Well, getting sunburned is more like it because in the next scene... Let’s just say aloe is involved... And things take a very different turn from where the dream started.

Next, he and Clarke chase a dog around in the snow. She is wearing a stocking cap and her nose is red from the cold, it is the most adorable thing Bellamy has ever seen. Then, they go inside a giant house. An old one that looks crappy from the outside, but is completely new on the inside. They dry off the dog- that Clarke calls Glass- before it settles down on it’s bed. Clarke and Bellamy shed their winter clothes before cuddling up on the couch in front of the fire. This dream ended much like the first.

The third, and final dream he had was very different than the first two. It starts out with Bellamy lying in a big bed. The sheets he sleeps on are expensive and so comfortable. The room is warm and he hears a ceiling fan going. He rolls over in the bed and his arm drapes over Clarke, who has a very swollen belly. Bellamy smiles into Clarke’s hair when the baby in her tummy kicks against his hand, waking it’s mother. She turns her head to smile at Bellamy. Everything in his dream stills for a moment, as if signifying that he should take everything in. The way the sunlight shines through the window behind Bellamy, making Clarke’s blonde hair glow. How comfortable the atmosphere is in the bedroom, and how easily the smiles on their faces grow.

Bellamy awakens confused and sweating, the room feels too hot and he quickly whips the blankets off his body.

The first two dreams he could discard with sexual frustration. Clarke was a beautiful girl, and it had been a long, long time since Bellamy had been with a girl.

But the third one... It scared him. He was in love with Clarke, this fact he was painfully aware of. But he always thought he loved her because of their shared experiences. Because she was with him in this whole running thing. He never thought he actually wanted to settle down with her. Sure, he pictured them in another life, one where they had already done so. In that world there was no danger following them, no pasts for them to forget. They were completely different people in that world.

Could he actually be what he was in that dream? Made up Bellamy could. He got straight A’s in high school and had a steady job to support his new family. Made up Bellamy had always wanted kids, two or three little Blakes running around.

Real life Bellamy, however, got straight C’s if he was lucky. He was a criminal for god's sake, made money by taking it. He never thought about kids because he was busy raising his sister. Real life Bellamy was untamable, or so he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by Clarke bursting through the door, exclaiming something about a present.

“What are you going on about, princess?”

“Happy birthday,” she says, thrusting a bag at him.

He looks at the thing skeptically, “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to,” she says, sitting on the bed beside him. “Open it.”

Bellamy turns his attention back to the bag, pulling something kind of heavy out of it. He finds a wad of paper and unwraps it. Inside there is a watch. He then looks to Clarke who has a nervous smile on her face.

“I- it looks just like one my dad used to have...” she says anxiously. “It’s stupid I know, I can take it back if you-”

“Clarke,” he says, placing his hand atop hers. “I love it.”

She smiles, this time a real one.

“Something to remember me by.”

“You planning on going somewhere, princess?” he asks as a joke, but he is serious behind his cocky voice.

She looks to her lap, “I told you it was stupid.”

He laughs and sees her eyes light up when she looks back to him. Remember when he said they were more than partners, yeah... Definitely more.

“I feel terrible now, I didn’t get you anything for your birthday.”

“Don’t worry about it. I hate birthdays anyways.”

“Yet you got me a gift.”

“I wanted to do something special. Get you something to make up for the shitty year we’ve had.”

He gives her a half smile, deciding against telling her that this year has been one of the best of his life. Because he got to spend it with her.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments! I am taking those into consideration and would love some more.   
> Let me know what you think of this chapter :)
> 
> ps: I have the next chapter already written so that should be posted soon


	9. Taking Shots and Throwing Punches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Bellamy celebrate New Years with a little too much alcohol and a little too many secrets. 
> 
> Bellamy gets into some trouble while trying to get them some money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So once again, I wrote way more than I should have and decided to post two chapters in one rather then breaking them up. I hope y'all like this super long chapter :)

Bellamy and Clarke spent the ten days after Bellamy's birthday trying to save up as much money as they could. Their plan was to spend it all on alcohol. New Years was the only holiday the two celebrated because it had no attachments to family.

And what better way to celebrate a new year then to get shitfaced.

The morning of New Year's Eve, the two walked to a liquor store and bought a bottle of whiskey, Bellamy's favorite, and a bottle of vodka, Clarke's favorite. Bellamy didn’t plan on drinking much, but he got some alcohol so he could have fun with Clarke. And he was _not_ about to drink vodka.

After dropping their alcohol off in their room, they went out to the convenience store around the corner to get snacks and gatorades.

They got back to their room after that and turned on the New Year’s Eve specials. The ones Bellamy always hated but watched for Octavia. She always seemed to have a favorite band or artist playing a few of their songs while wearing their winter coats at the very end of the program. Clarke always loved New Year’s Eve. It was a day she got to spend alone. Back home, when everything was good, her parents trusted her to stay home alone while they went out to parties with their friends. She would turn the tv on and put the volume on high, dancing to the singers and bands who would play. After her father died, this tradition continued.

After they ate a small dinner, Clarke started drinking. She made a drinking game with Bellamy; every time there was an awkward interaction with the host and someone in the crowd, they would drink. So they drank a lot. Bellamy didn’t tell her that he would be taking shots of water rather than his whiskey. He was not going to get drunk.

It was, however, hilarious to watch Clarke go from buzzed to completely gone. Her words were slurred and she laughed at everything. She certainly was a happy drunk.

“Can I tell you something?” she asks as her head lays in his lap.

“You’re going to say it anyways, so of course.”

“I love New Year’s Eve! I remember before I left, my friend Wells and I would party at my house. I would get so drunk, and he never would because he was too much of a goody. And drinking underage is bad apparently...”

“Well... Kind of,” he laughs.

“Anyways, he would always put me to bed after the ball dropped, because my mom would be so pissed if she knew I was drunk. I did a lot of stuff to piss off my mom before I left. Once, I went to this party in the real shitty part of town. It was so fun, so much alcohol,” she laughs before she continues. “And I didn’t want my mom to pick me up, so I called Wells, of course he came to get me, the poor thing was so in love with me but he was like my brother so that’s weird. But then like, he never came... Which was weird, so I walked home and my mom wasn’t there. But whatever, I went to bed. The next morning, I found out Wells got shot on his way to pick me up. My mom was at the hospital with Wells’ father and that's why she wasn’t home. So I guess I have two murders on my hands.”

Bellamy opened his mouth to speak, say some words of comfort or something, but Clarke started up again.

“You know Bellamy, I don’t see you like a brother. You’re way too hot to be my brother,” she giggles. “Plus, then I would be like in love with my brother.”

Bellamy looked down at Clarke who was laughing and watching the tv. Certainly she didn’t mean that. She was too drunk to know what she was saying. She must have no idea what she was talking about because in a matter of moments, she was off on another rant about something. But Bellamy was no longer listening. He was too busy thinking about something his mom had told him once, ‘drunk words are sober thoughts’.

He knew the story about her friend was real, she had the date he died tattooed on her ankle. She had mentioned it briefly once when they went swimming, just to get Bellamy to stop asking about the ink. So if that part was true, was the part where she confessed her love for him real too?

It didn’t matter, she was too drunk to remember saying it anyway. He could see it now, he would pathetically ask her about it tomorrow. She would be confused and play it off as something she clearly meant in a friendship way. Even if she meant what she said, Bellamy could definitely see her lying about it. Love was weakness after all, and Clarke had no weakness whatsoever...

So he forgot about it, as best as he could. He did a couple of shots with Clarke even though he knew she should probably stop drinking at this point. The alcohol gave him a sense of artificial warmth.

He and Clarke watched the ball drop together that night when the clock struck midnight. She kissed him on the cheek and he did nothing to stop her. They both cheered and did another shot, toasting to the new year.

Hopefully it would be better than they year they’ve had so far.

\---

Clarke woke up with a splitting headache. When she finally managed to force her eyes open, everything spun. With much effort, she rolled over in the bed to see Bellamy sitting up with his head against the headboard. He was watching the tv with subtitles, and the volume on mute. Either he was being incredibly thoughtful, or he had drank as much as she did.

She remembered almost nothing of last night. Her last memory was making up a drinking game with Bellamy... Then, nothing.

“Morning,” she croaks.

“Morning,” he whispers, sending pulses of pain through her.

She winced and he apologized, handing her some aspirin and a glass of water.

“What happened last night?” she asks.

“You drank, a lot.” He doesn’t look at her when he speaks, Clarke knows something is up.

“You ok?”

“Fine,” he replies quickly, forced casualty in her voice.

Clarke rolls over onto her back, staring at the ceiling, “Alright.”

Clarke spent the rest of the day in bed. Her headache began to subside after Bellamy brought her back some food. He didn’t say a word to her.

The next morning, they backed up and headed somewhere new. The car ride was silent. Not even the radio dared to slice through the tension that filled the car. Clarke thought Bellamy was being so pissy because he was hungover, but when he was still mad the next day she knew it was something else. Bellamy has no idea why he is so angry. But his feelings were hurt, so he had the right to be.

However, moving on was his specialty. He would be fine in a couple of days. He always was...

 

<><><>

 

Two days later, Bellamy was fine. He put the whole Clarke thing behind him. Whatever she said, he left it in that motel room along with her empty bottle of vodka.

They decided to split up in order to get the most money possible, and they would meet up in their room in an hour and a half.

Bellamy had hit the jackpot. He had managed to find fifty bucks within his first twenty minutes on the street. He should have headed back at that point- maybe stayed for a few more minutes to see if he could swipe a couple more bucks- but he stayed for a while longer. He barely looked at who he was taking from before he reached into the man’s pocket. His heart dropped when he knew he had been caught.

 _Dammit_ , he thought as he prepared to run.

He felt a tight grip around his arm and then he was spun around to face the man. He was tall and built like a giant tree, but Bellamy was quick and if this dude didn’t call the cops, he could definitely get away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the man hissed through his teeth.

“I’m not looking for any trouble, man,” Bellamy says.

“Shoulda thought of that before you tried to take my wallet.”

He tried to pull his arm from the guy’s grip, tried to run, but the man only pulled him back. Before Bellamy knew what happened, the man’s fist connected with his nose. Bellamy spat off to the side when blood from his nose went into his mouth.

_Did this asshole just break my nose?_

After a moment to process what happened and push the pain from his mind, Bellamy got his arm free and punched the man in the gut. When he doubled over from the blow, Bellamy elbowed him in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground. Bellamy tried to haul ass out of there, but suddenly he fell to the ground. His chin hit the ground with such force that his teeth vibrated.

Looking to his feet, he could see the man’s hand wrapped around his ankle. Using his other foot, he kicked him in the face. Why was he putting up such a fight over a wallet that Bellamy couldn’t even take? At this, blood poured from a cut on the man’s cheek and Bellamy scrambled to his feet.

Somehow, he made it back to the room despite the pounding in his head.

“Bellamy!” Clarke shouted when he entered the room.

He fell to his knees and she helped him up and onto the bed.

“What happened?”

“Big guy, really didn’t want me to take his wallet...” he breathed.

Clarke rushed to the bathroom and returned with a wet towel. She wiped the blood from Bellamy’s chin then his nose, telling him to hold the towel in place and tip his head back in order to stop the bleeding.

“Bellamy Bellamy Bellamy... I always tell you not to mess with people who could kick your ass.”

“I mess with you, don’t I,” he jokes.

“Ha ha, you’re so funny.”

“Come on, that was some good material.”

“I have a hard time making jokes with you when your bleeding all over the place. Now, put your head straight, don’t swallow any blood or you’ll throw up.”

“How do you know all this?” he asks as she examines his nose.

“Just because I never went to med school doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything. My mom took every opportunity to teach me.”

He winces as she touches the bridge of his nose, “She teach you how to fix a broken nose?”

“Lucky for you, your nose isn’t broken. But yes, she did. My uncle Kane broke his nose once at a game of softball, she let me fix him up.”

When his nose finally stops bleeding, Clarke asks Bellamy to do a few things before she concludes that he has a concussion.

“Nice going, dumbass,” she says with a laugh. “Looks like we are pulling an allnighter.”

“What? Why?”

“If you fall asleep while you have a concussion, you might never wake up. You want to wake up again, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies quickly.

She laughs before sitting on the bed with him and turning on the tv.

They spend the night laughing at the stupid shows that come on in the middle of the night and Clarke really wishes she had some pain meds to give to Bellamy because she can tell he is not feeling 100%. He has every right to feel shitty, he got the shit kicked out of him...

But when morning came, and they had both gotten their second winds, everything seemed fine. When she asked him how he felt, he told her he was good as new. She of course didn’t believe him, so they spent another day lounging around their room.

It wasn’t until the next day that Bellamy seemed like himself again. He was joking around with Clarke like nothing happened.

That was when they decided to go into town. Clarke said she would go to the drug store while Bellamy got them some money.

Bellamy pushed away the sinking feeling he felt in his chest, thinking they split up all the time. This was no different. He almost told her to check if the store had security cameras, but they do this stuff all the time. She knew what to do.

They separated at the corner and he walked along the street, avoiding any big guys he saw. Maybe ten minutes later he saw a couple cop cars speed by with their sirens on. He stayed out of sight until they passed.

Then, he realized where they were headed and his heart actually stopped.

_Clarke._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and especially the little cliffhanger...   
> I would love to know your thoughts on it.


	10. Plan Z

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their eyes lock and he knows what she is about to say.   
> "Plan Z!" she shouts.   
> He knows where his gun is. He could reach for it in a matter of seconds. He could point it at her before turning it back on himself.

She was screaming his name. Screaming loudly.

He ran to find her only to see cops dragging her away.

"Bellamy! Bellamy!" she screams again.

Their eyes lock and he knows what she is about to say.

"Plan Z!" she shouts.

He knows where his gun is. He could reach for it in a matter of seconds. He could point it at her before turning it back on himself.

He stared into her eyes. He saw fear. He saw desperation.

But he did not see 'kill me'.

\---

He parked a good block away from the sheriff's station. Far enough away that they wouldn’t notice him, but also close enough that he and Clarke could run back to it without problem.

He had spent the last few hours researching. Now he knew the floor plan of the station, which guard was on the cells at which time, and the time window he had to get Clarke out.

First, he cut the power. It would cause chaos inside the station and give him his in. Then, waited until the back entrance was unmanned, and quietly went inside.

Once he'd gotten the keys, it wasn't hard to find the cells. At this point they didn't know who Clarke was. They had no knowledge of her federal crimes, only that she had stolen some things from a shop. They were careful like that, keeping out of the national media. When his eyes locked on hers, his heart finally stopped racing. She looked scared as he thought she would. But the relief written on her face was enough to send Bellamy's head spinning.

He had never been more thankful for being in a small town. Their police station was drastically understaffed and no one seemed to be guarding the three cells they had tucked in the back.

As quietly as he could, he unlocked the cell and whispered the location of the car to her. Then he whispered the ever famous word in their relationship.

"Run."

She took off, and he was right behind her. Their footsteps echoed in the dark hallway but they kept running.

Suddenly, they were outside and the cool air of the night was blowing in their hair. Both had rapid breaths and aching chests but neither stopped. Not until they made it to the car.

Bellamy jammed the keys into the ignition and threw it into drive, driving as quickly as possible without raising suspicion.

"Really? A prison break, Bel?" her words came out like venom, stinging his ears and making chest ache even more.

She was angry at him.

He was still catching his breath as he drove so he said nothing. He wouldn’t know what to say to her if he was able to talk.

"What's the plan?" she asks, harshly. He can tell by the tone of her voice that she has little faith in him now. And it hurts.

"We drive."

"What about road blocks?" she hisses.

"By the time we get out of town, they won't have even noticed you're gone."

She sighs and rubs her forehead with her fingers.

Why was she mad? He got her out. Before they even properly charged her! They were both still alive, running like they always did. What's the problem?

They drive for hours and silence fills the car like water, drowning Bellamy. He wanted to say something, but he could still feel her anger like a fire burning through a forest. So he stayed quiet.

Just before three in the morning, he pulled into the parking lot of a motel and pulled out his 'handy dandy lock picking tools'.

After finding an empty room and going inside, Clarke actually speaks to him. She tells him that she's going to take a shower, and goes to the bathroom without another word.

Bellamy sits on the floor beside the bed with his head in his hands.

He did what he had to do. He wouldn't change what he did. He couldn't live without her. Even for those few seconds between shooting her and shooting himself. It all felt like too much. He knew he had to save her, he had to try. And now here they were, in no more danger than they ever were, and she hated him. Bellamy let her down... He wanted to find something to say to her, something that would make her forgive him and make everything ok again. But every time he tried to form a sentence, it fizzled away and died in the back of his throat.

Tears flowed from his tired eyes, tears of anger and tears of the true pain that was gripping at his heart.

"Bel?" he hears her behind him and quickly wipes his face. "Are you crying?"

"It's whatever."

She sits beside him wearing only a towel.

"Why are you crying?" she asks, curiously.

"Because of you, Clarke. I couldn't go through with Plan Z. I never can."

"But we agreed." She says this like she wants him to elaborate.

"I could never kill you. You're too important to me."

"I am?"

"Yes. I can't imagine my life without you. You're, you're the thing that keeps me going. The reason have been so careful lately. I love you, Clarke."

She stares at him with wide eyes.

"You do?" she sounds on the verge of tears.

"Yeah..."

"Dammit!" she pounds her fist into the carpet.

"What?"

"We cannot love each other! It will put everything we've worked for at risk."

"What are you saying?" he asks.

"I can't lose you," she sobs and lays her head on his shoulder. "I love you too and I can't lose you Bellamy Blake."

"I don't plan on going anywhere, Princess."

"That's out of our control..."

"Well this isn't," he says before he kisses her.

She thinks about protesting, telling him again how bad of an idea this is, but his lips were too soft and comforting. Their first kiss was as magical as they both dreamed it would be, but a different kind of magical. Tear stained cheeks and stuffy noses were not what they expected.

As they got lost in one another that early morning, it became apparent to them that they were not going anywhere. Of course they both thought this before, but now it was solidified.

They lay in their bed in their much too warm motel room after they’ve finished. Clarke’s head is resting on Bellamy’s chest and she listens to his heartbeat while his arms are wrapped tightly around her. Both know that they have now become completely dependent on the other. Nothing could separate them now. They whispered one last 'i love you' before drifting off to sleep.

It was the best night sleep Clarke or Bellamy had had in years.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry this is definitely not the end of this series. Far from it in fact.   
> Hope y'all liked this chapter, let me know your thoughts!


	11. Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Bellamy decide their rule to not talk about the past has got to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically fluff, but there is a little talk of suicide just to warn everyone. 
> 
> And I did bring in some elements of the books into this chapter as well.

Waking up with Clarke in his arms was not a new thing for Bellamy, but this time it felt new. It felt satisfying and he felt complete.

The room was quiet, although he could hear the wind blowing outside. It could have been twenty below for all he knows, but Clarke’s body heat was making his skin burn. It was a welcomed feeling.

Images from earlier that morning suddenly flood his brain. He remembers the feeling of Clarke’s lips on his, the way he kissed her neck (there would definitely be a mark later), and especially the way she moaned his name. He would surely never be able to fully appreciate every inch of her, but he could most definitely try. God, she was beautiful. Why hadn’t he confessed his feelings sooner? And why had he let her tell him she loved him and done nothing about it?

Not much he could do about that now.

And it didn’t matter. For the first time since he and Octavia snuck into the water park when she was nine, he was truly happy. He had known for a long time that all he needed was Clarke. But now as he felt her slow breaths against his chest, the thought that he could ever be without her almost made him laugh.

With a content smirk on his face, he lays there in the bed, trying to memorize this moment. The moment when things couldn’t get better.

Then, Clarke begins to stir before she finally wakes up.

“Morning, princess,” he says quietly when she smiles at him with sleep dazed eyes.

“Morning,” she says, letting her head fall back onto his chest. She kisses him there.

“Or should I say afternoon,” he points out after looking at the clock.

“We really tired ourselves out, didn’t we?” she laughs.

He kisses the top of her head and a comfortable silence falls over the room.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Clarke suddenly asks.

Bellamy sighs, debating for a moment about if he should lie to her. He decides against it.

“I thought you could do better.”

“That’s bullshit,” she says.

“Look, Clarke, I am pretty fucked up. You don’t know how I got here, what I have really done. I love you, with all my heart, but I never thought you could love me too.”

“Bellamy, whatever happened to us before we met, it doesn’t matter. Not anymore. So what, my own mother regrets me. My dad is dead. I got my best friend shot, and my mother is the reason my dad got executed. I have you now. You and I, we can make new memories to replace the shitty ones that made us run.”

“Clarke-”

“You think you’re too messed up? Tell me why. Let me be the judge then.”

He sighs again, “My mom killed herself. I was 18 and I found her in the kitchen. There was so much blood. I knew my sister would be home from school soon so I called the cops. I let them deal with that piece of shit I had for a mom and I picked Octavia up from her bus stop. I took her out for ice cream and took her to the zoo. I didn’t tell her that our mom was dead. She was this sweet little girl, somehow she hadn’t let our crappy situation harden her. I didn’t want her to become a stone. I think that’s why she left me, because I didn’t tell her. She chose to live with someone else and didn’t want to see me again. I have anger issues and trust issues... I am not your prince.”

“Maybe I don’t want a prince. Maybe I want the knight who has the rusty and worn armor. Maybe, just maybe, the prince is overrated.” She lets out a ragged breath. “You wanna hear something about me?”

He nods.

“My other best friend was a lab rat. I went to my parent’s lab once. I thought maybe she was the daughter of one of their coworkers. No... They were testing on her. So one day, I rushed over to the lab to tell Lilly about how I aced my test or some shit, and she wasn’t there. I asked about her and my parents, their faces went pale. She passed and they lied to me. They said she moved away. I only found out she died when my dad did. I looked through the files in his office, the ones the cops didn’t take. And she was in there. A detailed analysis of her death. Boy, was that a great day.” she looks to him and he sees that strength in her eyes. “Who cares that the world dealt us a bad hand. We can make the best of it now. Together. You and me against the world, right?”

“Definitely.”

She smiles at him, she can tell he is still iffy on this so she presses on.

“We are both damaged, but that doesn’t make us any less human. You can fix the cracks in my tiara and I’ll fix the ones in your armor.”

“Damn,” Bellamy says, smirk on his face.

“What?”

“I am one lucky guy.”

“Don’t get all mushy on me now, Blake,” she says with a laugh.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you too.”

\---

The two found it hard to leave the comfort of their bed that day. So they lay in the bed tangled up with each other. They decided that their rule of not talking about the past was idiotic and harmful. Because of this decision, they talked a lot about the stuff they never did before. Bellamy knew that was best, but had always followed their rule because he knew it was what Clarke wanted. It was really the only good thing his mother ever taught him; talk about how you feel and it gets better.

So they talked. Clarke told Bellamy about her parent’s trials and how her mother framed her dad to save her own ass. She told him about her downward spiral and how things got pretty rough for her before she left. And Bellamy told Clarke about Octavia. How he raised his baby sister while their mother was who knows where doing who knows what. He told her about having to help his mother give birth because she was too cheap to go to the hospital and he told her about leaving Octavia behind. They told each other everything that day, and the other listened and held them if they cried.

It was amazing because both felt a tremendous weight lifted off their shoulders knowing that their partner in crime knew it all.   

Knew all their deepest and darkest secrets. The things they wouldn’t tell anyone. It felt so great to let those things out.

For that day, those precious 24 hours, nothing could touch them. They forgot about the danger they were in, and they forgot about running. Having each other there, knowing everything, meant more either thought it would. Bellamy was sure Clarke would run when she found out about his past. But she stayed. She stayed and continued to show him just how much she loved him. Clarke still knew this was a dangerous idea, but she was able to push that to the back of her mind now. She was happy. Happier than she can ever remember being, because of Bellamy.

Everything was different now, a good different.

 

 


	12. The Man They Murdered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is the anniversary of the death of the man they killed, and Clarke can't seem to get away from that memory.

_They were running, running from nothing really. They'd lost that cop blocks ago, but neither was ready to stop. After rounding a corner, they heard a loud POP!_

_Frozen in place, they looked to each other to make sure they were ok. Then, they looked around to see the source of what could only be a gunshot._

_Seeing a man lying on the ground, Clarke ran over. It was instinct. Her mother would have ran over. She heard Bellamy shouting at her not to touch the gun. What are the odds that someone would be shot while they were right there? Whatever fate may have had in store for them, Clarke presses her hands to the bleeding wound in the man's abdomen. She quietly tells him he'll be ok. She has no idea what her next move is. An ambulance comes, and she and Bellamy run away so they don't get seen? She leaves the man right then and there?_

_Her thoughts are running a mile a minute when Bellamy is pulling on her arm and yelling something about cops coming._

_She stumbles to her feet and runs along side her curly- haired companion._

_They run and they run, neither caring about the blood that covers Clarke's hands and torso. Finally stopping in their crappy motel room, they try to catch their breaths. But Clarke keeps gasping and gasping, unable to force any air into her lungs. She looks at her hands while struggling to breath, they shake terribly. The room starts to spin. All she sees is red._

_"Clarke! Clarke!" Bellamy shouts, trying to get her attention. "Breathe with me, princess!"_

_She looks into his calm eyes and mimics his breathing, trying to be as mellow as Bellamy seems. She finally takes in a breath, then another, then another. Her knees give out and she crumbles to the floor._

_"I left him..." she says quietly. "I- I left him there... To die..."_

_"The police were coming, Clarke. There is nothing we could have done."_

_He places his hand on her shoulder and her head snaps towards him. He looks into her eyes and sees something he has never seen before, her eyes are wild in that moment. It scares him, and also pains him._

_He pushes that away and helps Clarke. They walk to the bathroom together and he helps her wash the blood from her skin and clothes._

_Later that night, they watch the news and see themselves on it. Damn! That's not good. It's only the backs of their heads, you wouldn't know who it was if it wasn't you. But they did know. And the story made it seem like they murdered that man. Because he did die. He died on scene and those words rang in Clarke's head for hours._

_'Dead upon arrival.'_

_Clarke didn't talk for an entire day. Twenty four hours of silence for the man she left for dead._

_The man they murdered._

The memory flashed through Clarke's head whenever she heard a loud noise. She knew she would never be able to forget that day. They had only been together a couple of weeks. Bellamy had only just started calling her princess after that dumbass news station did a story on the criminal couple stealing from a grocery store. Robin Hood and his Princess they'd called them. Everything was new to their partnership. The murder changed things.

Bellamy never noticed when she flinched at loud bangs or the slamming of a door. It was just how she was. The silence was her enemy as well as the loud now. She knew it affected him too. Whenever he held his gun his eyes became cloudy and unreadable. He became tense.

They both would never hurt a fly. It was a crazy idea to think they would ever murder anyone. But the crime was on their backs.

It was something they carried along in their backpacks.

Today is the anniversary of when that man was taken away from the earth. Taken away by someone Bellamy and Clarke never saw.

Bellamy didn’t even remember. The date meant nothing to him. He barely knew what day of the week it was. It was like summer break when you were a kid, all the days just seemed to mold together for Bellamy and he felt no obligation to keep track of them.

But Clarke knew. She woke up that morning with Bellamy’s arms draped over her and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was haunted by that man. Clarke slips from Bellamy’s embrace and goes into the bathroom to wash her face. But the room feels much too small for her, so she quietly opens the door and creeps outside. She walks over to their car and sits on the hood, knees pulled to her chest and head resting on her knees. Lost in her thoughts, she watched the sunrise that early morning. She was inspired by the bright oranges and the vibrant pinks that illuminated the sky. The dark red that haunted her dreams seemed to disappear as she listened to the birds chirping and crickets sing. Peace, that was the word for it. She felt peaceful. The crisp morning air was welcomed by her burning lungs.

She didn’t even notice when Bellamy emerged from their room and sat beside her.

“How long have you been out here?” he asks her, pulling her from her concentration.

“No idea,” she tells him. “I wanted to watch the sunrise.”

“Everything ok?” he says, nudging her shoulder with his own.

“There is so much beauty in the world. So many good things... And he was killed...”

“Wells?”

She just shook her head. It suddenly hit him, he knew what this was about.

“Princess, you can’t blame yourself. You did everything you could to help that guy.”

She remained silent.

Bellamy takes her hands in his, “Please, Clarke. Don’t collapse into yourself again. Don’t stop talking. Talk to me.”

She sniffles, “I wanted to help. No one deserves to die. I don’t blame myself I just... I just wish things had been different.”

“Me too, princess,” he says as she rests her head on his shoulder.

Bellamy can see the hurt in her eyes. It makes him feel terrible. Something pops into his head that really shouldn’t. It would never work, they could never pull it off. But it seemed like a good option at this point.

Maybe they needed to get away. Find some country where police weren’t hunting them, and settle down. It was always Bellamy’s far off dream. But maybe, some way, they could make it reality.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually really proud of this chapter so I hope you guys liked it.   
> As always, let me know what you think, your comments make my day :)


	13. Nachos and a New Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy sets off an alarm inside a store. He and Clarke have to get the hell out of town as quickly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly set up for the next chapter, but there is some action in this one and I can assure you that the next chapter will be very good.

It has been a little over a month since Bellamy decided they should try to settle down. He hasn’t told Clarke about his plan, he wants to have it more together when he talks to her about it. More than just ‘hey let’s leave the U.S. and never look back’.

He knows Clarke will be skeptical about it. And he has no idea if she would even want to. Settling down seemed scary even to him.

He is tired of the danger they face everyday. Tired of he and Clarke being scared all the time. It was becoming too much and it was starting to wear away at them. After the anniversary of the death of that man, he saw just how much it was affecting Clarke. He didn’t want that for her anymore. He wanted her to be able to relax, as well as himself.

So as the days went by, he tried to figure out ways they could get the hell out of there. Maybe they could go to Canada... No that was still too close. They had to get to another continent.

In the meantime, they kept running. They had run into some good luck, and hadn’t seen any cops in a long time.

That was, until Bellamy managed to set off an alarm in some store. He immediately threw down the thing he was trying to take and he and Clarke dashed from the store.

They talked about getting a new car when they got to this town, and now seemed like as good a time as ever.

With their packs on their backs, they ran to a crowded parking lot. Their ears were listening for sirens or people shouting at them. They heard nothing but their stomping footsteps. A tan toyota caught their eye and they crouched beside it to once again listen for signs of danger.

Their breathing was coming in pants, and they could hear their heartbeats in their ears. Adrenaline pumped through their veins, not a new feeling for the couple.

It was late afternoon when this took place, the owner of this car was probably eating dinner in a restaurant nearby.

Clarke stood watch as Bellamy picked the lock to the driver’s side door. Once inside, he began hotwiring the car. Clarke had no idea how he did it, he would never teach her. He always said he didn’t want her to learn because it was just another thing they could charge her with when they arrested her.

But within a matter of minutes, Bellamy had the car started and Clarke climbed into the passenger seat.

“Think that store had cameras?” Clarke asks throwing her backpack into the backseat.

“I didn’t see any.” Bellamy says before punching the steering wheel. “Damn! I thought I got the security tag off!”

“Bel, it’s fine. We got out in time,” she reassures him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Now, can we get something to eat soon? I am fucking starving.”

Bellamy laughs. They are still a little too close to town for his liking, so he tells her that they will stop in an hour or so.

They drive down the highway laughing about the things they find in the car. Clarke finds a pocket knife in the glovebox and decides to keep it. She also finds a collection of CDs in the center console. Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Chicago are just a few.

“Man, this dude was old as hell,” Clarke says. She puts the CDs back before turning to Bellamy. “People just don’t know what good music is.”

“Says the woman who listens to pop and alternative,” he scoffs.

“Ok Mr. High and Mighty. Don’t deny you know every word to most Taylor Swift songs.”

“Because you sing them all the time!”

“Oh whatever. Hey, exit here. There’s a Taco Bell. I am dying for some nachos.”

“Really, princess? Dying?”

“Why are you so annoying?” she says as he takes the exit.

“Don’t act like you don’t love me.”

“Yeah yeah, just order me some food so we can get back on the road.”

Bellamy goes through the drive thru and gets himself and Clarke some food before they get back on the highway. They drive for a few more hours before getting themselves another motel room and resting for the night.

Clarke falls asleep almost the instant her head hits the pillow. For some reason she had been tired all day, more so than usual. Her sleep was dreamless and deep.

However, she was woken up in the early hours of the morning by her stomach turning itself inside out. She rushed to the bathroom while being careful not to wake Bellamy.

She laid on the floor after the contents of her stomach had been emptied. The tile felt cool against her hot skin, she hadn’t realized how sweaty she was.

 _Great_ , she thinks to herself, _food poisoning._

She just had to stop at a sketchy ass restaurant in the middle of nowhere...

After a while, her stomach started to feel better. Deciding she had gotten that nasty food out of her system, she crawled back into bed with Bellamy who welcomed her with big, strong arms.

They both woke up the next morning, and Clarke acted as if nothing happened. It would be dumb to tell Bellamy that she had gotten sick because he would insist they stay while she recovered. But she already felt better, there was no use stopping everything simply because she threw up. And besides, they still needed to get as far from that town as possible. Stopping now would just be ridiculous.

On they went. Clarke was desperate to see some rain. It was spring dammit and there should be rain. So she and Bellamy were headed to Oregon or Washington or someplace wet and cloudy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know what you guys think, you're comments have been a big help!


	14. Passports

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding another reason they have to leave, Clarke and Bellamy know they must get new identities to get out of the country.

It all makes sense now. The gears in Clarke’s head finally clicked into place. And when they did, her heart dropped.

She hoped with every fiber of her being that she was wrong.

Trying to be subtle, she suggests to Bellamy that they go to the drug store she’d seen down the street from their motel. He smiled and off they were. It was difficult to hide the box under her clothes, it was slightly bigger than things they usually stole. But she managed to do it, and Bellamy was none the wiser. The trip back to their room was a bit awkward because she still had to keep the box hidden while revealing all the other things she had stolen.

When they get back to their room, she dashes to the bathroom, claiming she _had_ to pee.

She could hear him flipping through channels on the tv while she waited. Her head started spinning again, it was becoming harder for her to hide the nausea from Bellamy. Right now, he just thought she was always using the bathroom.

Five minutes of tapping her foot on the ground and biting her nails was finally over. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down to the stick of plastic.

The wind was knocked out of her when she read the one word, eight letters that would change everything.

“Bellamy?” she says, slowly opening the bathroom door. She exits the bathroom and sits on the bed with him.

“Yeah? Is something wrong, princess?” he asks, noticing her worried expression.

“Umm, yes actually,” she sighs. “I’m pregnant.”

He looks at her stomach with an innocent expression on his face, "Pregnant? We're gonna have a baby?"

Clarke nods nervously.

"Well we will just have to find some way to settle down," he says quickly.

"Wait, you actually want to do this?"

"Of course I do. You mean everything to me. And now this baby does too. We can find a way."

Clarke smiles and takes his hand in her own. She had no idea how they would manage something like that. Settling down was something she never saw in the cards for herself, but Bellamy seemed so sure. She could do anything with him. She trusted him.

“Where are we going to go?”

He thinks for a moment, “Let’s go to Italy!”

“Italy? Why Italy?”

“Why not? It’s far away, no one is looking for us there, and it’s beautiful.”

She laughs as tears of joy fill her eyes.

“We can do this?”

“Hell yeah. We have been avoiding arrest for years now. Getting new identities and fleeing to another country should be a piece of cake.”

Clarke smiled and nodded slightly, “We need to do it soon. I don’t- I can’t keep running with this baby.”

“I understand.”

Bellamy knew what he needed to do. He knew where they could quickly get new identities. It wouldn’t be good, but it was what they needed.

Clarke must see the discomfort on his face because she asks him what’s wrong.

“I know where we could get new identities...”

“Well that’s great! Isn’t it?”

“We have to go back to Portland.”

“Bellamy no, we don’t have to do that. I’m sure we can find some other way to do this.”

“Princess, this is the best thing for us to do. We can get the passports and be out of here within the month. It’s not the big a deal... Really. We just go to town, get our shit, and get the fuck out of there.”

Clarke felt like crying. Bellamy seemed perfectly calm about going back to his hometown. Who knows what could happen while they’re there. They might see his sister... This man was willing to do anything for her.

“You’re sure?” she asks.

“Whatever it takes to keep you and this baby safe. Not like the cops will really be looking for us there,” he says with a small laugh. It’s true, they have never been anywhere close to Portland, no reason for cops to be after them there.

Clarke wrapped her arms around Bellamy in a tackling hug.

“You’re the best baby daddy a girl could ask for,” she tells him, causing him to laugh.

After spending one last night in their room, they started their drive to Portland. They had gotten lucky when they decided to head to the west coast weeks earlier, now their drive was significantly shorter.

They made it to the city by nightfall and Clarke could see how uncomfortable Bellamy was to be home. She felt terrible, this was all her fault.

“Where are we going?” Clarke asks.

“This kid I used to know, Murphy, he was into some real illegal shit. He should be able to get us what we need. He hangs out in this alley behind an old school building.”

“You think he’d still be there after five years?”

“Definitely. Most predictable guy I ever met.”

They drive in silence for a bit before Bellamy turns off the car and tells Clarke to wait there.

She does as he asks and spends the next twenty minutes picking at her fingernails. At one point she almost got out to go look for him because if he took much longer, she would get sick in the car. Her morning sickness is like clockwork.

When Bellamy finally gets into the car, he lets out a big sigh and buries his face in his hands.

“Don’t hate me,” he says.

“Why would I hate you? Did you find him? Was he there?”

“Yeah he was there, but I had to give him everything we have.”

“Bellamy... That was five hundred bucks... It took us forever to save up that much cash.”

“It would have been more... He gave me a discount because we used to be buddies. Look, this isn’t the end of the world. We can just get the passports, then drive to another state to fly to Italy. Along the way we can get some cash. It will take a little longer, but we can do it. I know we can.”

“Alright, I trust you. Did he tell you when we get the passports?”

“He said two days.”

“Well what are we going to do in the meantime?”

“I say we get out of the city and go get ourselves some money.”

“Let’s do it.”

And with that, they were off. The ride to a new motel was very quiet. Clarke stared out the window and seemed to be deep in thought.

“You’re mad,” Bellamy says, breaking the silence.

“I’m not mad,” she tells him. “Just, tired.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am loving all of your comments and predictions so let me know what you think of this chapter :)


	15. Plane Rides and Mermaids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Bellamy head to Italy, and the plane ride there brings back some memories.

In the two days since they arrived back in Bellamy’s hometown, they made nearly four hundred dollars. Bellamy stayed out almost all night trying to take as much money as he could. They even went around to diners and restaurants and took the cash from people’s bill before the waitress could take it away.

Some idiot left his credit card on the table while he went to the bathroom. The guy was just asking for Bellamy to take it. Now he and Clarke had a way to buy the tickets. It seemed this was their lucky day, or lucky week to be more accurate.

It was hard for Bellamy being back in town. Seeing all the places he used to take Octavia... He avoided places they used to frequent and tried to focus on the goal; getting his baby some place safe. That doesn't mean Octavia didn't occupy his thoughts. Was she doing well now? Was she looking into colleges? Did she have a job? Boy, did he want to see his baby sister, but it was better for her if he didn't. How would he explain Clarke and the fact that they have to leave right away? Being home sucks.

This time, Clarke went with Bellamy to pick up their passports. She was a little disgusted with this Murphy guy and the way he looked at her. He seemed creepy. But he was giving the criminal couple their safe passage so for that she was thankful.

With their new identities, the pair (now named James and Elizabeth Moore) head to Seattle to board their plane. They left the credit card in their motel room so no one could track them after they got on the plane.

It was a last minute plan, one that Clarke or Bellamy was not sure would work.

But this is their shot. This is their chance at something they never thought they would get.

The airport is practically empty. A few people stand in line for some coffee and the line for security goes a lot faster than anticipated. It feels strange to Clarke to see so little people getting aboard planes. She has been to countless airports and been on a plane more times than she can remember. She has never seen a not busy airport...

Getting to their gate, they sit in the row of chairs in the middle of the large room. Clarke uses the hair tie on her wrist to put her hair up in a bun. She looks around nervously before Bellamy puts his hand on her thigh.

“Everything is fine, Elizabeth,” he says quietly.

She snickers, “Say that when we get off the plane in Italy.”

Their plane is set to board in five minutes and Clarke sits in her seat anxiously bouncing her leg up and down the whole time. How does Bellamy seem to calm? Why is he not freaking out?

The truth is, Bellamy is most definitely freaking out. He keeps it all inside so he doesn’t worry Clarke. He has to be the strong one in that moment.

Finally, they board their plane. Clarke sits in the window seat and Bellamy sits beside her in the middle one.

Clarke doesn’t mind flying. Her family used to take a lot of trips when they were all together, before everything went to hell. She got used to riding in them. When she was real little, she would sit on her father’s lap and watch the cloud beneath them. He would make up stories to tell her about the cities below so she wouldn’t get scared. Take off was always the worst. It always felt to her like there was too little runway and too much speed. This plane ride is no different.

Bellamy has never flown before and has no idea what to expect. But when Clarke is suddenly holding tightly onto his hand, he doesn’t question it.

Soon enough they are in the air. Bellamy leans over Clarke’s lap to look out the window with absolute wonder on his face. Clarke manages a smile when he looks to her to comment on how crazy the view is.

However, the flight is long and the initial excitement eventually wears off. Bellamy falls asleep in his seat after a few hours, leaving Clarke alone with her thoughts.

The last time she was on a plane was when her family took a trip to Greece. She was twelve then. She remembers the book her father had given her a week before just to read on the plane. It had been something about an immortal teenage couple and their quest to find each other and the truth. But she didn’t finish it. Instead, after her mother fell asleep, Clarke and her father talked about the whales that lived in the ocean below. They were having a party down there according to Jake.

Clarke looked down to her stomach. Her child would never experience flying again. It would be too risky. Maybe there was a better life for the three of them in Italy, or maybe not. But Clarke was hopeful. And that better life starts now.

“There’s mermaids down there, you know,” she whispers to her belly. “I don’t know if you’re a boy or a girl yet, but everyone likes mermaids. Right now, they’re all preparing for a ball with the manatees and dolphins. They’re following the plane as we speak because they heard that the new prince or princess is on their way. That’s you, little one. We’re all waiting for you.”

Clarke continues her story of this grand party the mermaids are hosting, even adding some backstory here and there.

If she stops talking, she will start thinking about how crazy all this is. They have no idea what is waiting for them when they get off this plane. No idea if they can truly settle down as they plan. In all likelihood, they might spend their time in Italy as they spent their days in America.

But for now, Clarke was lost in a fantasy world she created for her child.

She doesn’t know Bellamy started listening about halfway through, having woken up from his nap.

Eventually, Clarke falls asleep with a hand resting on her stomach. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was that everything she does now is for this baby.

Bellamy finally opens his eyes when he realizes that Clarke is asleep. He notices her hand on her stomach and can’t help but think about the baby.

Sure, in his first twenty two years of life he never pictured himself being a father. He was too busy with Octavia, thought raising her was enough for him. Then, he started running and thought no one could ever love a thing like him. But then he turned twenty three, and everything changed. Suddenly, he was in a relationship with the girl of his dreams. A blonde goddess had taken his heart.

Now he knows he is ready. He will make an excellent father because he will do anything for this child and it’s mother. He may not know what this new life has in store for them, but as long as they are together, everything will be just fine.

They finally land and Bellamy gently nudges Clarke awake. They look at each other knowing that this is it. No going back now.

Hand in hand, they get off the plane and into their new life.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end. There is just a couple more chapters to go...  
> I hope y'all liked this chapter, and I'm glad to know so many of you like the story! Let me know what you think.  
> And since this series is almost over, I am taking requests so if you have an idea you'd like me to write just leave a comment or message me on tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy


	16. Boy or Girl?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Bellamy find out the sex of their baby.

Their first few weeks in Italy hadn't been all that great. Clarke's morning sickness was no better than it had been and they were still stealing to get her enough food to eat.

Then, Bellamy got a job working in a restaurant and none of his coworkers question why a man named James would ask them to call him Bellamy.

A month later- with the help of Clarke's pick pocketing- they were able to afford a small house. It was barely two bedrooms but it would work for them, they're not picky.

Clarke knew no one would hire her while she is pregnant, so she spends most of her time at the house or with Bellamy at the restaurant. His coworkers love her. During the fifth month of her pregnancy, they find out the cousin of one of Bellamy's coworkers is an OB GYN. Knowing they had little money, he offered to give Clarke an ultrasound for free. She was proud and thought about declining because they could pay eventually, but then she realized that she really wanted to know the sex of the baby and agreed.

"Have you had an ultrasound before, Clarke?" he asks when they come in to his office.

She shakes her hair.

"Have you any exams since you found out you were pregnant?"

She shakes her head again.

He sighs, "Alright let's get started then."

He warns Clarke that the gel is cold before putting some on her belly. Then, he moves the ultrasound around until he finds the baby's heartbeat. After pressing a couple buttons on the machine, the room is filled with the sound of its heartbeat. Clarke couldn't help but smile while listening to the strong thumps of her child's heart. Bellamy squeezed her hand and she knew he was smiling too.

"Clarke, it appears you are going to have a baby girl."

"A girl?" she asks, her smile growing.

He nods, "Everything appears to be fine. You have a very healthy baby girl, Clarke."

"Thank you so much," Bellamy says from his place behind Clarke.

He says it is no problem before handing Clarke a towel to wipe the gel from her stomach.

They walk out of his office and head back to their house.

“It’s a girl... We’re having a girl,” Clarke says as she sits on their bed, which is more of a mattress they stacked on a couple of palettes.

“This is good, I have no idea how to raise a boy,” Bellamy jokes.

Clarke smiles, realizing how happy she was. Everything was falling into place. Things were finally getting better.

She and Bellamy make themselves some dinner then climb into bed and talk about the baby. Bellamy says she will be beautiful as long as she looks like her momma and Clarke feels a blush creep onto her cheeks. It is agreed that she will have curly hair, no chance for her not to when both parents share that trait. They talk about her being able to do the things they never got to, like grow up in a stable home and not have parents leaving and dying and hating her.

Bellamy falls asleep first, tired from a hard day’s work. Clarke looks down to her swollen belly as she baby moves and kicks her ribs.

“I know your daddy wants to name you Augustine,” she tells the baby.

Bellamy wakes at the sound of her voice but decides to keep quiet so Clarke can have this time with their daughter.

“I think it’s cute and all, but do you really wanna be names Augustine? We could call you August but...” she sighs. “I like the name Rose. It’s my favorite flower. It’s beautiful and tough and can protect itself. I hope you can be those things, little one. I want the best for you. I want to give you a castle and butlers and all the toys in the world. I know we don’t have that, but I will never stop trying to give you everything.

“My mom wasn’t the greatest, so I don’t have much to go off of, but I will be great to you. I don’t understand how my mother can do it, I already love you so much. You already mean everything to me, Rose. I will never let you think you are unloved. I will never make you feel like your only option is running. Your dad and I will probably never tell you about the years we were criminals, but we will teach you the strength we gained from it. You and your dad are the only things that matter to me, even if he makes me name you Augustine.”

Clarke lets out a small laugh when the baby starts kicking again. She contemplates waking Bellamy, he likes to feel her kick and move around, but she decides against it because she knew he needed his sleep. There was plenty of time for him to feel the baby kick.

\---

The next morning, Bellamy gets ready while trying not to wake Clarke, she needed sleep more than he did, she was growing a human. He left her a note on the counter that said he would run home on his lunch break and they could go back to the restaurant together afterwards. He didn’t like her being alone. And he really didn’t like not being with her all the time. He knew they weren’t in danger anymore, and he knew no one was hunting them here, but part of him was still fighting for his life. Their lives. All of him wanted Clarke safe, and their daughter safe as well.

He liked his work and he liked the people he worked with. They all liked Clarke which made him happy. His friends even had a bet going on what the sex of the baby is. Some of them cheered when he came to work and told them, others groaned and handed over the money. They all congratulated him though.

When he came back with Clarke after his lunch break, they all congratulated her as well.

Whenever Clarke came to work with Bellamy, she would sit in the back booth and read, or sketch. Sometimes Bellamy would look back at her and see her writing furiously in that notebook of hers.

They had a nice little life. Everything was starting to look brighter. It made Bellamy happy to know that they had done it, they got away. Not necessarily a good thing the the United States government, but definitely good for them.

They were making a life for themselves.

They weren’t just turning a new leaf, they were flipping that shit over and over again.  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liked this chapter, let me know your thoughts.   
> Feel free to follow me tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy :)


	17. Yes, Of Course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy has a secret which involves hidden cash and sneaking out during his lunch break.

Clarke is seven months along now and has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning; the bed is much too low to the ground and her belly is much too big.

Bellamy always laughs when she asks him for help in the morning, and she always tells him that he better shut up and that she deserves a little respect because she is carrying his child.

Once Clarke goes inside the bathroom, Bellamy dashes to the kitchen. He opens one of the cupboards and pulls back the loose board, revealing a wad of cash. He thinks he finally has enough. His friends at work offered to chip in, and he only agreed when he thought about how long it would take him to save up otherwise. He was amazed how much his new friends cared about him, and Clarke too. Stuffing the money in his pocket, he goes back into their bedroom to say goodbye to Clarke.

“I can’t come home for lunch today, princess,” he tells her.

“Oh, ok. Guess I’ll just hang out here today.”

“I love you,” he says before kissing her. “I love you too,” he whispers after bending down to kiss her belly.

“Go to work already,” Clarke says with a laugh. “We love you.”

Clarke is a little bummed that she will be spending the whole day alone, but she figures if they need Bellamy to work during his lunch it must be important.

Bellamy walks to work, trying to focus on doing his job. However, throughout the day, all he can seem to think about is what will most likely happen later that day. He tries not to let it affect his work, but he is just so happy.

His lunch break finally comes and he dashes from the restaurant, hoping and praying to the stars that this will all work out.

\---

Clarke is in the middle of a great chapter when Bellamy bursts through the front door claiming he has gotten her a present. She quickly finishes the paragraph she was reading before putting her bookmark in her book and closing it.

“Why did you get me a present?” she asks, obviously confused.

“Because,” he sits next to her on the couch and takes her hands in his, “I have something to tell you.”

“Ok...”

Bellamy takes a deep breath, “Clarke, you know I love you. And you know I love our baby girl, even though she’s not here yet. I would do anything for the two of you. You mean everything to me. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. You have helped me so much over the past few years. You’re great at stealing money and distracting store owners while I swipe their shit. You’re the best partner I could have asked for. And I know you’ll make a great mom too.”

“Bellamy, why are you saying all this?” Clarke asks.

“Clarke,” he takes another deep breath before sliding off the couch and onto one knee. “I know we can’t get legally married with the fake identities and everything, but I want you to know that I am committed to you and our daughter. I got us rings and everything. So, will you marry me?”

Clarke smiled. Her heart was already working overtime to support her and the baby, but it was working even harder right now. Even the baby was saying yes, she is kicking like crazy right now.

“Yes, of course I will.”

Bellamy smiled as he slid the ring onto her finger.

“She’s happy,” Clarke says, taking Bellamy’s hand and putting it on her belly.

“How did you afford this?” Clarke asks after looking down at her hand.

“Some guys from work helped me out. They said they like us together, wanted to see us get married.”

“When did we become a charity case...” she laughs.

“I think it was when we finally let people in.”

“Wow, way to make everything serious.”

He laughs and shakes his head, “Here, put my ring on me.”

He hands her the other ring and she slips it onto his finger.

“I now pronounce us husband and wife,” Clarke says as Bellamy kisses her.

“Sorry we can’t go on a honeymoon,” Bellamy says. He sits on the couch once more and Clarke rests her head on his shoulder.

“That’s ok, our honeymoon can be watching tv on the couch while we eat dinner.”

Bellamy smiles as Clarke reaches for the remote and turns on the tv. She finds some movie for them to watch as Bellamy excuses himself to make them some dinner. Frozen pizza and ice cream sounds like the perfect meal to celebrate their wedding.

He and Clarke eat their meal while making fun of the movie they she turned on. Clarke says that she could act better than the characters in the movie and Bellamy doesn’t doubt that. Then, they talk about baby names which is something they should have done ages ago. Clarke says she feels weird that they don’t have a name already, she thinks most couples would. They don’t decide on anything, though. Bellamy knows a name will come to them when she arrives. Which will be very soon.

That night, Clarke falls asleep with her head in Bellamy’s lap and Bellamy falls asleep with his hand on Clarke’s belly.

Bellamy hears his alarm coming from the bedroom and gently lifts Clarke’s head so he can get up. He places a pillow where he used to be sitting so she is more comfortable. Then, he groggily shuffles to their bedroom to turn off his alarm and get ready for work. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he splashes some water on his face to wake himself up.

While the coffee maker warms up, he makes some breakfast for Clarke and himself. She hasn’t been eating breakfast lately, claiming nothing tasted good, so he decided to make her favorite today; chocolate chip pancakes.

He eats a few himself, before making a plate for Clarke.

Then, he writes her a note so she’ll know he went to work when she wakes up.

_Dearest Wife,_

_I left for work, but I left you some breakfast. Please eat it some. I’ll be home for lunch today and you’re sure as hell coming back to work with me after because everyone is going to want to see the ring._

_I love you and the baby._

_Bel (your husband)_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last one... But I will have an epilogue after that.  
> I hope y'all liked this chapter, I would love to hear your comments.


	18. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gives birth to her daughter and everything changes.

Clarke is nine months pregnant and her due date is just around the corner. Bellamy’s boss gave him a few days off so he could be there for her in case she goes into labor. Clarke feels like a watched pot and thinks she may never boil.

When she wakes up one morning in a lot of pain, she doesn’t wake Bellamy. He doesn't need to know yet. He’ll only worry.

However, he does wake up when he hears her breathing heavily.

“Holy shit, Clarke!” is all he can say.

“I’m fine,” she says quietly.

He sees her force her eyes shut once more, wincing in pain.

"Ok Clarke, we need to go to a hospital," he tells her, trying to help her off the bed.

"No! Bellamy no. No hospital," she says. "We don't have that kind of money, and they'll ask too many questions."

"Jesus Christ, Clarke. You're really gonna make me do this a second time?" he asks. Octavia's birth was probably enough midwifery for one lifetime, but it looks like he was doing it a second time. For his own child this time.

She nods, "Yep."

He looks at her, drops of sweat already cling to her forehead and wet her hair. She's as beautiful as ever to him.

"Alright, let's move you into the bathroom then."

He helps her stand and they slowly walk to the bathroom together. Bellamy tries to make her comfortable but knows that is not exactly possible.

Her contractions come closer together now, and Bellamy tries to keep her breathing calmly. He is suddenly very glad they found a house in Italy because now no one will hear Clarke screaming and think she's being murdered or something.

"Bellamy," she says weakly. "I don't know if I can do this."

He reaches up to place his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb, "You can do anything, princess."

"Yeah?" she asks.

"Of course. Now, aren't you ready to meet our baby girl?"

She nods.

"Then you need to push, Clarke. Ok?"

She does as he asks to the best of her abilities. Her voice becomes hoarse from screaming but that doesn't stop her. She vaguely hears Bellamy tell her he can see the head. She pushes again and again until her screams are mixed with those of her daughter. Bellamy ties off the cord before wrapping the baby girl in a towel and handing her to Clarke.

"Hi baby girl," she says, smiling down at the squirming thing in her arms.

Looking over to Bellamy, she sees the biggest smile on his face.

"You can pick her name," he tells her. He already knows what she'll pick, he did overhear her talking about it after all.

Clarke looks back down to her daughter, "Rose. Rose Augustine."

"You like that?" he says to the baby. "Are you a Rose?"

The baby scrunched up her nose.

"I think she likes it," Clarke says.

"How come she gets a middle name? Neither of us have one," Bellamy jokes.

"Well our parents were lame. We're cool parents."

"I can hear Rose's teenage self groaning at that statement," he says and Clarke laughs.

"No, you're gonna think we're cool, huh Rose?"

Rose lets out a shriek, causing her parents to laugh. The new family stays there in the bathroom. Clarke and Bellamy cannot stop staring at their beautiful baby girl.

They are amazed that they brought something this great into the world. A world they thought was only out to hurt them, was now made whole by a very tiny human being. When they first met, they thought no one could love them. They thought no one would want the love they had to offer. Everything was dark and everything was going all wrong. Then they ran into each other, and the door crept open- even just a little bit- letting in some light. Running with one another was the shelter from the storm. Bellamy was Clarke’s escape from her horrible world. One where her mother didn’t want her, and where her father was gone before his time. Clarke was Bellamy’s lifeguard, pulling him out of the water that had been drowning him. She lifted the weight of leaving his sister from his shoulders. The terrible aching he felt in his chest from not being good enough was lessened by his blonde partner in crime. Then, they professed their love. That door flung open, light shone into their lives like neither had experienced before.

Both honestly thought that the other was all there was for them. They had found love, what else was there for two criminals on the run? Finding out about Rose was the scariest moment of their lives, and these two have escaped jail before. Bellamy could see the fear written on Clarke’s face when she told him. How were they to raise a child while running? They had to find a way to settle down somewhere. And that they did, Italy was their home now. It would be the place they raise their daughter, the place they find their peace.

As they look down, into the cloudy grey eyes of their daughter, they knew their was so much more for them than just each other. They had this new life, completely dependent on them. A blank slate that they would have to teach right from wrong. It was scary, they barely knew right from wrong themselves. But they had each other. Together they would keep this child safe.

Never in a million years did Bellamy picture himself here when he left home six years ago. He thought he would be alone, he felt alone. The pain gripped at his soul and he thought it would never let go. Now here he was, brushing dark brown curls off the forehead of his newborn daughter.

Clarke was just as surprised. After her father’s death, she thought it was over. Her mother shut down, and then started hating her. Clarke couldn’t be what her mother wanted. Then, she left and was sure things would never get better. But she had a daughter now, a beautiful daughter. She had a husband, who loved her and would never let her go. She had more than she ever thought she deserved.

This seems like a fairy tale. They thought someone would utter the words ‘and they all lived happily ever after’, close the book they lived in, and it would all be over. A dream they didn’t know they had had come true.

“Does it feel different?” Clarke asks, breaking the silence that has filled the small room. “Delivering your own kid?”

“At least I didn’t think you were dying,” he chuckles. “But this feels so much better.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“She looks just like you.”

Clarke smiles, “She does have my nose.”

“How did we get this lucky?”

“We must’ve done something right...”

“Yeah,” Bellamy says, “we had her.”   

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, only the epilogue left to go...  
> I hope you all liked this chapter, it was really fun to write. I would love to hear your thoughts :)


	19. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy and Clarke have adjusted to life in Italy and things are going very well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a time jump of three years since the last fic, so little Rose just turned three.

Clarke and Bellamy lay in their bed, sound asleep. The sound of tiny footsteps can be heard making their way to the master bedroom.

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!" Rose shouts as she jumps onto her parents bed.

"Good morning, baby girl," Bellamy says, cradling the toddler into his arms.

"Breakfast, daddy."

Clarke yawns before smiling, "You heard her, daddy."

Bellamy gives an exaggerated sigh, "Alright... How about your favorite? You want some jelly toast?"

Rose nodded her head before dragging Bellamy out of the bed.

The three of them eat their breakfast, and Bellamy and Clarke chug some coffee. Neither anticipated their three year old would wake them up so early, so coffee is a necessity in their household.

Once Rose is finished eating and Clarke wipes the jelly from her face and hands, she takes her daughter to her room to get her dressed and do her hair.

After Clarke finishes Rose’s hair, hey race each other into the living room. Of course Rose is the winner, she’s the fastest runner in the house.

Bellamy takes this opportunity to chase Rose around the coffee table, laughing as she squeals and exclaims that he’ll never catch her.

He finally takes one big step to catch up and lifts the toddler into the air above his head. She laughs and laughs and Bellamy has no choice but to tickle her.

Then, Clarke swoops in to save the day, taking Rose into her arms and placing a kiss to her cheek before setting her back on the ground. Rose marches right over to the tv and turns it on. Then, she grabs her favorite movie and hands it to Clarke.

“Lion King again, Rosie?” Clarke asks.

“Yeah mommy,” she answers, giving Clarke a look that says she should know better.

Clarke pops in the movie and they all settle on the couch together, Rose sitting in between her parents. Routine is something they never thought they’d have, and now they couldn’t live without it. They watch a movie, mostly this one, everyday before lunch. Then, Rose goes down for her nap. And when she wakes up, more playtime.

On days when Bellamy works, Clarke sometimes swaps movie time for craft time. This consists of Rose scribbling on a piece of paper with some crayons while Clarke paints. On those days when Clarke is feeling brave, she'll put one of her sleep shirts on Rose and let her paint too. Clarke has set aside some watercolors just for the artist to be. She's scared to let her use acrylic because Rose has a tendency to put things in her mouth... That can wait until she starts school.

Rose also loves to read books and listen to her parents tell her stories. Her favorite book- one that Bellamy must read to her every night before bed- is Marsupial Sue. But she also loves when Bellamy tells her stories about a princess and a knight who travel the realm trying to find their safe haven. She doesn't notice Clarke rolling her eyes and laughing as he speaks.

Both Clarke and Bellamy are grateful, beyond grateful for Rose. She is the best thing to ever happen to them, after meeting each other. Having her made them realize that things weren't about them anymore. Things were about this adorable child who thinks its funny when her momma burps. They've changed because of her, for the better.

\---

“She is finally down for her nap,” Clarke says as she sits with Bellamy on the couch. “She’s as stubborn as we are...”

Bellamy doesn’t look at her, instead he bites the nail of his thumb and stares at the screen of his laptop.

“What are you doing?” Clarke asks, looking at the screen too.

“I found Octavia,” he says. “Her facebook, I found it.”

“Are you gonna message her?”

“I think I should... Right? I mean, we’ve all moved on. There’s no reason not to.”

“I think it might be a good idea.”

Bellamy clicks the ‘friend’ button and within minutes Octavia accepts his request and sends him a message.

_O: Bellamy? What the fuck! Where have you been? Are you ok?_

_B: yeah I'm fine. Everything is fine._

_O: then why did you leave? I haven't seen you in almost a decade..._

_B: I got into some trouble O. I didn't want to drag you into it. You were better off without me there_

_O: well not anymore! I need my brother! Where are you?_

_B: Italy. I moved here a couple of years ago_

_O: well it's almost spring break. I am coming to see you_

_B: sounds great! I want you to meet my family_

_O: family?_

_B: I have a wife now. And a daughter. Her name is Rose and she just turned three._

_O: oh my god I'm an auntie! I can't wait to come see you guys_

_B: me either. I love you O, I'm sorry I put you through so much_

_O: you raised me to be strong big brother._

_B: I love you O_

_O: i love you too big brother. See you soon_

\---

"I feel bad... Should we have gone to pick her up?" Bellamy asks, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"She can take a cab, Bel. Everything is going to be ok."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. She loves you and seemed excited to come. This will be fun."

"How are you not nervous?"

"Judging by how much Rose is like you, I can only assume Octavia is too. And I think I have a pretty good track record of getting Blakes to love me."

"I'm glad you're my wife," he says, but he still looks nervous.

"Mommy why is daddy sad?" Rose asks, tugging on Clarke's pant leg.

She lifts her daughter into the air and rests her on her hip, "Daddy's not sad. He's excited. Your aunt Octavia is coming to visit. Can you tell me what an aunt is?"

"Daddy's sister!" the three year old says excitedly.

"Good job! That's right. Do you want a sister?"

Rose nods.

"Rose, tell your mommy she's real sneaky," Bellamy says with a laugh.

"Sneaky mommy," Rose says, scrunching up her little nose as she giggles.

There is a knock at the door and Bellamy jumps with a start before going to answer it. Clarke still stands in the kitchen with Rose, trying to find her cup to get her some juice. She hears squealing followed by loud footsteps, Octavia tackle-hugged Bellamy.

"Octavia, this is Clarke, and Rose," Bellamy says as he leads Octavia into the kitchen.

Octavia gives Clarke a hug too before smiling at Rose.

"It's nice to meet you. Anyone who tames Bellamy Blake is a queen in my book," Octavia says with a laugh.

"Uhh she's called princess, O," Bellamy jokes.

"Rose can you say hi?" Clarke says, looking down at her daughter's face.

"Hi 'Tavia," she says, clenching and unclenching her fist to wave.

"You are too cute, has anyone told you that?"

"O, pretty much everyone tells her that," the Blakes laugh.

They all move into the living room to chat after Clarke gets Rose her juice. Rose then stumbles into the room, followed by her mother, and sits on the floor to play with her dolls.

"So tell me about you," Bellamy says. "How have things been?"

"Well, uhh, high school went well. I got good grades and managed to get a cheer scholarship. So I'm graduating in a few weeks," Octavia says.

"That's all I ever wanted for you," Bellamy says with a smile.

"What are you studying?" Clarke asks.

"Early childhood development. I plan on being an elementary school teacher."

"That's amazing!" Clarke says.

"So what do you guys do?" Octavia asks, looking between Clarke and Bellamy.

"I work at this nice restaurant down the street, and Clarke here sells some of her art," Bellamy explains.

Octavia smiles, "You're an artist?"

Clarke nods and tells her that painting and drawing calms her down. She'd do it even if she wasn't making money off of it. It was unexpected; one of Bellamy's coworkers came by to visit and saw one of Clarke's paintings. They wanted to buy it and Clarke gladly took the money. Soon, his boss commissioned her for a painting for the restaurant and everything took off from there. She was able to work from home and spend more time with Rose.

"Mommy, what's for dinner?" Rose asks.

"What would you like, sweetheart?"

"Mac and cheese!"

"Alright, do you want strawberries with that?"

The three year old scrunched up her face in disgust.

"You liked strawberries yesterday..." Bellamy chimes in.

"No daddy," Rose puts her hand up to stop him.

Octavia laughs, "She's sassy. I like this kid."

"How about some raspberries?" Clarke tries.

"Yes."

"What do we say?" Bellamy asks.

"Yes please," Rose replies, putting extra emphasis on the word 'please'.

"Good job," he tells her with a smile.

Rose picks up her favorite doll, one she named 'Sparkle' and climbs onto Bellamy's lap to continue playing. Clarke excuses herself to go make dinner for Rose, half leaving to make food and half leaving so the Blakes could have some time to talk alone.

"Octavia," Bellamy begins. "I am so sorry. I'm sorry I left and I'm sorry I didn't talk to you until now."

"Don't be sorry. You did something for yourself. You deserve that much after all you sacrificed for me. Hell, Bellamy, you didn't go to your senior prom because you were working to put food on the table. This is just a dot in our story, we can move on now. Start our relationship over."

"When did you get so mature?"

"I think it might have been when we came home from the zoo," she says, somberly.

He knows what she means. He grew up a lot that day too.

"Bellamy, I want to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"I'm seeing someone. His name is Lincoln and he's great. He looks at me like I hung the moon. You'd like him. It's- it's pretty serious."

Bellamy knows it isn’t his place to interfere, he hasn’t seen his sister in nine years. He doesn’t really know her or this guy she’s talking about. But she’s 21... She is still in school. He wants the best for her, but he also wants her to be happy. He’s torn.

“That’s great, O. I’m glad you found someone,” is what he decides on saying.

“I’d love for you to meet him, maybe when school’s out, we can both come out here.”

“That would be great.”

Bellamy’s fears dripped away as he and Octavia fell back into their old ways of joking around and talking as if nothing happened. _That’s what siblings do,_ he thinks. Rose seems to like Octavia because now she’s sitting on her lap and telling her all about her dolls and how mommy lets her paint with her sometimes.

When Clarke announces that dinner is ready, Rose runs into the kitchen, forgetting all about Sparkle and auntie ‘Tavia.

“That kid loves food,” Bellamy says as they follow her.

Clarke holds up her finger as if to say ‘watch this’, “Rose, what is your favorite thing in the whole world?”

“Glitter!” she screams.

“And what else?”

“Mac and cheese!”

Octavia and Bellamy chuckle.

“Anything else?”

“Mommy and daddy!”

“Aww, group kiss!” Clarke exclaims.

She scoops Rose into her arms and Bellamy rushes forward to kiss her chubby cheek while Clarke kisses the other one. The toddler laughs wildly.

“Alright, get in your chair, little one,” Clarke says as Rose settles back on the ground.

“Aww big and tough Bellamy is such a good daddy,” Octavia says in a mocking sort of way that makes Bellamy roll his eyes.

“I’ll have you know I’m a great daddy,” he says.

They all sit at the table with Rose to eat and Bellamy fixes something for the adults to eat. However, Octavia insists on having mac and cheese as well.

Clarke finds that she really likes Octavia. She is funny and smart and very good with Rose. Their dinner is filled with lighthearted conversation and jokes. It is more than even Clarke could have asked for.

When Octavia said she wanted to visit, Bellamy was terrified. What if Octavia hated him? What if she was mad? Now the only negative feeling he had was that Octavia would have to leave in a couple of days.

Bellamy had a family. Not just a wife and child anymore, but he got his sister back.

This new life was better than anyone could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you wanted Octavia and Bellamy to meet up again, so ask and you shall receive.   
> I might do another chapter of this later because I LOVE this story and 19 chapters just isn't a pretty number. I really hope you guys liked the epilogue, this was probably my favorite chapter to write by far.   
> I am also looking for requests since this series is over, so if you have an idea you'd like me to write you can comment it or send me a message on tumblr @ clarrkesbellamy (and, you know, follow me there too because I feel like shamelessly plugging my blog)

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of ideas for this series so it should be kind of long, and Plan Z will be explained later.


End file.
